Stigma Mechanisms in a Globalized Pandemic in India: A Theoretical Framework for Stigma

Abstract

AbstractStigma has been documented to act as a significant barrier to healthcare access and healthcare-seeking behavior. Traditional frameworks of stigma and discrimination have been used in the past to explain the stigma associated with diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, and HIV. However, increasing globalization and unprecedented access to information via social media and the internet have altered infectious disease dynamics and have forced a rethink on mechanisms which propagate stigma. SARS, MERS, Ebola, and more recently COVID-19 have been associated with fear in communities across the globe due to the inherent uncertainties associated with emerging infectious diseases and a concurrent spread of misinformation—an infodemic. The authors present a theoretical framework to explain the evolution of COVID-19 associated stigma by exploring the complex interplay of various international and national mechanisms. It is anticipated that a conceptual framework which explains the evolution of stigma in fast-spreading global pandemics such as COVID-19 may also prove to be useful as a starting point for furthering the discussion on the progenitors, pathways, and manifestations of COVID-19-related stigma. This should be of practical use to researchers who are interested in exploring, validating, and identifying interventions for informing other frameworks for similar diseases.