Unmasking the Pandemic's Shadow: A Systematic Review of The Multifaceted Impact of COVID-19 Stigma in Asia
Downloads
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated stigma toward health workers, patients, and survivors while intensifying social inequalities through rising unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion. This systematic review examined literature from ProQuest, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and PubMed, focusing on the stigma of COVID-19 in Asia. Original research employing quantitative or qualitative methods was included for articles that published in 2020-2021, while review articles were excluded. Screening followed PRISMA guidelines, with data collection and analysis conducted from November 2021 to April 2022, resulting in 24 articles. Data extracted included titles, authors, publication years, participants, methods, findings, strengths, and limitations. Quality was assessed using JBI’s critical appraisal tools, and thematic analysis was performed using Braun and Clarke’s framework. The review identified three key themes: general characteristics of COVID-19 stigma, affected populations, and the multifaceted impacts. Stigma in Asia has led to widespread fear and discrimination against infected individuals, survivors, health workers, and vulnerable groups with significant psychological, spiritual, economic, and health repercussions. We recommend that the government raise public awareness to minimize misinformation by providing education about COVID-19 and efforts to address the impacts caused by stigma, as well as integrating anti-stigma measures into policies and expanding mental health services for those affected.
Adian, I., Doumbia, D., Gregory, N., Ragoussis, A., Reddy, A., & Timmis, J. (2020). Small and Medium Enterprises in the Pandemic : Impact, Responses and the Role of Development Finance. Policy Research Working Paper Series 9414, pp. 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-9414
Alam, M. F., & Pulla, V. (2020). The outbreak of COVID-19, response, and the vulnerabilities of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 14(6), 259-284. Retrieved from: https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/the-outbreak-of-covid-19-response-and-the-vulnerabilities-of-rohi
Ahmed, N. J., Alrawili, A. S., & Alkhawaja, F. Z. (2020). The Anxiety and Stress of the Public during the Spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 32(7), 54–59. https://doi.org/10.9734/jpri/2020/v32i730460
Bagcchi, S. (2020). Stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet. Infectious Diseases, 20(7), 782. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30498-9
Ben-Ezra, M., Sun, S., Hou, W. K., & Goodwin, R. (2020). The association of being in quarantine and related COVID-19 recommended and non-recommended behaviors with psychological distress in Chinese population. Journal of affective disorders, 275, 66-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.026
Bezerra, C. B., Saintrain, M. V. de L., Braga, D. R. A., Santos, F. da S., Lima, A. O. P., de Brito, E. H. S., & Pontes, C. de B. (2020). Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 self-isolation on the Brazilian population: A preliminary cross-sectional analysis. Saude e Sociedade, 29(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902020200412
Bhuiyan, A. A. (2021). Seeking an ethical theory for the COVID‐19 pandemic outbreak with special reference to Bangladesh’s law and policy. Developing world bioethics, 21(4), 173-186. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12287
Boden-Albala, B., Ding, X., Ryan, N., Goodman, S., Wing, J., Runnerstrom, M. G., ... & Drum, E. (2023). Anti-Asian racism related stigma, racial discrimination, and protective factors against stigma: a repeated cross-sectional survey among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 958932. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.958932
Bu, F., Mak, H. W., & Fancourt, D. (2021). Rates and predictors of uptake of mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of 26,720 adults in the UK in lockdown. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56(12), 2287–2297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-021-02105-w
Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & quantity, 56(3), 1391-1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y
Centers for Desease Control and Prevention. (2025). Mental Health Stigma. Centers for Desease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/stigma/index.html
Chang, K. C., Strong, C., Pakpour, A. H., Griffiths, M. D., & Lin, C. Y. (2020). Factors related to preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors among people with mental illness. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, 119(12), 1772–1780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfma.2020.07.032
Chew, Q. H., Chia, F. L. A., Ng, W. K., Lee, W. C. I., Tan, P. L. L., Wong, C. S., ... & Sim, K. (2020). Perceived stress, stigma, traumatic stress levels and coping responses amongst residents in training across multiple specialties during COVID-19 pandemic—A longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6572. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186572
Chow, S. K., Francis, B., Ng, Y. H., Naim, N., Beh, H. C., Ariffin, M. A. A., Yusuf, M. H. M., Lee, J. W., & Sulaiman, A. H. (2021). Religious Coping, Depression and Anxiety among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Malaysian Perspective. Healthcare, 9(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010079
Dabholkar, Y. G., Sagane, B. A., Dabholkar, T. Y., & Divity, S. (2020). COVID19 Infection in Health Care Professionals: Risks, Work-Safety and Psychological Issues. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 72(4), 468–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-020-01928-4
Do Duy, C., Nong, V. M., Ngo Van, A., Doan Thu, T., Do Thu, N., & Nguyen Quang, T. (2020). COVID-19-related stigma and its association with mental health of health-care workers after quarantine in Vietnam. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 74(10), 566–568. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13120
Généreux, M., Roy, M., David, M. D., Carignan, M. È., Blouin-Genest, G., Qadar, S. M. Z., & Champagne-Poirier, O. (2022). Psychological response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: main stressors and assets. Global Health Promotion, 29(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/17579759211023671
Généreux, M., Schluter, P. J., Hung, K. K., Wong, C. S., Pui Yin Mok, C., O’sullivan, T., ... & Roy, M. (2020). One virus, four continents, eight countries: an interdisciplinary and international study on the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among adults. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(22), 8390. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228390
Grover, S., Mehra, A., Sahoo, S., Avasthi, A., Tripathi, A., D'Souza, A., Saha, G., Jagadhisha, A., Gowda, M., Vaishnav, M., Singh, O., Dalal, P. K., & Kumar, P. (2020). State of mental health services in various training centers in India during the lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic. Indian journal of psychiatry, 62(4), 363–369. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_567_20
Guo, Q., Zheng, Y., Shi, J., Wang, J., Li, G., Li, C., ... & Yang, Z. (2020). Immediate psychological distress in quarantined patients with COVID-19 and its association with peripheral inflammation: a mixed-method study. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 88, 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.038
Heriyanto, H. (2018). Thematic analysis sebagai metode menganalisa data untuk penelitian kualitatif. Anuva: Jurnal Kajian Budaya, Perpustakaan, dan Informasi, 2(3), 317-324. https://doi.org/10.14710/anuva.2.3.317-324
Lee, S., & Waters, S. F. (2021). Asians and Asian Americans’ experiences of racial discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on health outcomes and the buffering role of social support. Stigma and Health, 6(1), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000275
Mahmud, M. S., Talukder, M. U., & Rahman, S. M. (2021). Does ‘Fear of COVID-19’ trigger future career anxiety? An empirical investigation considering depression from COVID-19 as a mediator. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020935488
Marshall, K. (2022). COVID-19 and Religion: Pandemic Lessons and Legacies. The Review of Faith and International Affairs, 20(4), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2022.2139523
Miconi, D., Li, Z. Y., Frounfelker, R. L., Santavicca, T., Cénat, J. M., Venkatesh, V., & Rousseau, C. (2021). Ethno-cultural disparities in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study on the impact of exposure to the virus and COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma on mental health across ethno-cultural groups in Quebec (Canada). BJPsych open, 7(1), e14. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.146
Mostafa, A., Sabry, W., & Mostafa, N. S. (2020). COVID-19-related stigmatization among a sample of Egyptian healthcare workers. PloS one, 15(12), e0244172. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244172
Nicomedes, C. J. C., & Avila, R. M. A. (2020). An analysis on the panic during COVID-19 pandemic through an online form. Journal of affective disorders, 276, 14-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.046
Nochaiwong, S., Ruengorn, C., Thavorn, K., Hutton, B., Awiphan, R., Phosuya, C., ... & Wongpakaran, T. (2021). Global prevalence of mental health issues among the general population during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific reports, 11(1), 10173. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89700-8
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., ... & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Puhl, R. M., Lessard, L. M., Larson, N., Eisenberg, M. E., & Neumark-Stzainer, D. (2020). Weight stigma as a predictor of distress and maladaptive eating behaviors during covid-19: Longitudinal findings from the eat study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54(10), 738–746. https://doi.org/10.1093/ABM/KAAA077
Ransing, R., Ramalho, R., de Filippis, R., Ojeahere, M. I., Karaliuniene, R., Orsolini, L., ... & Adiukwu, F. (2020). Infectious disease outbreak related stigma and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic: Drivers, facilitators, manifestations, and outcomes across the world. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 89, 555–558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.07.033
Roelen, K., Ackley, C., Boyce, P., Farina, N., & Ripoll, S. (2020). COVID-19 in LMICs: The Need to Place Stigma Front and Centre to Its Response. European Journal of Development Research, 32(5), 1592–1612. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00316-6
Rura, N. (2022). Spirituality linked with better health outcomes, patient care. The Harvard Gazette. Retrieved from: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/07/spirituality-linked-with-better-health-outcomes-patient-care/
Sahoo, S., Mehra, A., Dua, D., Suri, V., Malhotra, P., Yaddanapudi, L. N., ... & Grover, S. (2020). Psychological experience of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Asian journal of psychiatry, 54, 102355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102355
Sahoo, S., Mehra, A., Suri, V., Malhotra, P., Yaddanapudi, L. N., Puri, G. D., & Grover, S. (2020). Lived experiences of the corona survivors (patients admitted in COVID wards): A narrative real-life documented summaries of internalized guilt, shame, stigma, anger. Asian journal of psychiatry, 53, 102187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102187
Sahoo, S., Mehra, A., Dua, D., Suri, V., Malhotra, P., Yaddanapudi, L. N., ... & Grover, S. (2020). Psychological experience of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Asian journal of psychiatry, 54, 102355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102355
Satici, B., Gocet-Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., & Satici, S. A. (2021). Adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Its association with psychological distress and life satisfaction in Turkey. International journal of mental health and addiction, 19, 1980-1988. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00294-0
Turner-Musa, J., Ajayi, O., & Kemp, L. (2020). Examining social determinants of health, stigma, and covid-19 disparities. Healthcare (Switzerland), 8(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020168
Wood, J. (2023). Europe’s small business proved resilient to COVID-19 pandemic disruption. Here’s what that means for SMEs. World Economic Forum Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/01/europe-smes-business-resilience-covid-19/
Yadav, K., Laskar, A. R., & Rasania, S. K. (2020). A study on stigma and apprehensions related to COVID-19 among healthcare professionals in Delhi. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 7(11), 4547. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20204760
Zhou, S., Banawa, R., & Oh, H. (2021). The mental health impact of COVID-19 racial and ethnic discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 708426. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.708426
Copyright (c) 2025 JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright notice
Ownership of copyright
The copyright in this website and the material on this website (including without limitation the text, computer code, artwork, photographs, images, music, audio material, video material and audio-visual material on this website) is owned by JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN and its licensors.
Copyright license
JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN grants to you a worldwide non-exclusive royalty-free revocable license to:
- view this website and the material on this website on a computer or mobile device via a web browser;
- copy and store this website and the material on this website in your web browser cache memory; and
- print pages from this website for your use.
- All articles published by JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work provided the original work and source is appropriately cited.
JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN does not grant you any other rights in relation to this website or the material on this website. In other words, all other rights are reserved.
For the avoidance of doubt, you must not adapt, edit, change, transform, publish, republish, distribute, redistribute, broadcast, rebroadcast or show or play in public this website or the material on this website (in any form or media) without appropriately and conspicuously citing the original work and source or JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN prior written permission.
Permissions
You may request permission to use the copyright materials on this website by writing to jurnalinfokesehatan@gmail.com.
Enforcement of copyright
JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN takes the protection of its copyright very seriously.
If JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN may bring legal proceedings against you seeking monetary damages and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.
If you become aware of any use of JURNAL INFO KESEHATAN copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to jurnalinfokesehatan@gmail.com
Infringing material
If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to jurnalinfokesehatan@gmail.com.
