Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36471368›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2022

The development and validation of a novel COVID19 stigma scale among healthcare workers (COVISS-HCWs).

Hasan Nabil Al Houri, Abdullah Alhouri, Rand T Akasheh, Christine E S Jovanovic, Heba Al-Tarcheh, Douaa Mohammad Nazir Arrouk, Ahmad Nabil Alhouri, Marah Marrawi, Malik E Juweid, Youssef Latifeh

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Article in BMC health services research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Hasan Nabil Al Houri *Internal Medicine Department, Al Assad University Hospital, Al Mouwasat University Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria. hasan94alhouri94@gmail.com.
Abdullah Alhouri *Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK.
Rand T AkashehDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, American University of Madaba, Madaba, 11821, Jordan.
Christine E S JovanovicDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Heba Al-TarchehDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Al Assad University Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Douaa Mohammad Nazir ArroukApplied Statistics - Quantitative Methods, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.
Ahmad Nabil AlhouriFaculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Marah MarrawiDepartment of Mathematical Statistics, Faculty of Science, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Malik E JuweidDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan.
Youssef LatifehDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Damascus University · SYRoyal Berkshire Hospital · GBAmerican University of Madaba · JONorthwestern University · USUniversity of Jordan · JO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimFear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its complications may result in stigmatization of individuals who may carry the virus. This is of special concern to healthcare workers who tolerate additional physical and emotional stress at times of pandemic. The aims of this study are to (1) develop and validate the COVID-19 Stigma Scale (COVISS-HCWs) survey; and (2) investigate the experience of stigma among healthcare workers possibly dealing with COVID-19 patients in five major public hospitals in Damascus, Syria.

methodsWe divided the sample into two parts and then underwent EFA on the first 350 participants, dividing the 14 questions into two dimensions. Furthermore, CFA was conducted on the other 350 participants to confirm how correctly a hypothesized model matched the factor structure by EFA, as described above. Moreover, the coefficient of determination (R2) and item-scale correlations (standardized factor loading) were estimated to establish the acceptability of the final structure of the COVISS-HCWs. Through a cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 700 healthcare workers participated in a self-administered questionnaire containing a section for demographic variables and another for newly designed COVISS-HCWs. The scale comprises 14 adapted and novel items that measure two subscales: feelings of perceived harm and inferiority, and avoidance. Descriptive statistics, reliability, and validity were evaluated.

resultsThe 14 COVISS-HCWs items were reduced to 11 items with a high Cronbach's α of 0.909. A significant correlation was observed between the responses to each COVISS-HCWs item and the corresponding subscale, and between each subscale and the overall scale. Feeling stigmatized was reported by 9.86% of the participants. Younger age, low socioeconomic status, and higher intensity of contact with COVID-19 patients significantly correlated with higher stigmatization.

conclusionsThe novel COVISS-HCWs is a reliable and valid tool to evaluate stigma among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stigma prevalence among healthcare workers was 9.86%. Therefore, this must be addressed to prevent possible psychosocial and public health repercussions.

Indexed as

COVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesHealth PersonnelHumansPandemicsReproducibility of ResultsCOVID-19Healthcare WorkersNovelScaleStigmaValidation

Identifiers

PMID36471368
PMCPMC9720915
OpenAlexW4311286482

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.