ABSTRACT
Introduction: Individual and community characteristics predictive of knowledge, perception, and attitude on COVID-19, specifically on gender, have not been adequately explored. Objective: To examine the gender differences in COVID-19 knowledge, self-risk perception and public stigma among the general community and to understand other socio-demographic factors which were predictive of them. Method: A nationally representative cross-sectional multi-centric survey was conducted among adult individuals(≥18 yrs) from the community member (N = 1978) from six states and one union territory of India between August 2020 to February 2021. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling. The data were collected telephonically using pilot-tested structured questionnaires and were analyzed using STATA. Gender-segregated multivariable analysis was conducted to identify statistically significant predictors (p < 0.05) of COVID-19-related knowledge, risk perception, and public stigma in the community. Results: Study identified significant differences between males and females in their self-risk perception (22.0% & 18.2% respectively) and stigmatizing attitude (55.3% & 47.1% respectively). Highly educated males and females had higher odds of having COVID-19 knowledge (aOR: 16.83: p < 0.05) than illiterates. Highly educated women had higher odds of having self-risk perception (aOR: 2.6; p < 0.05) but lower public stigma [aOR: 0.57; p < 0.05]. Male rural residents had lower odds of having self-risk perception and knowledge [aOR: 0.55; p < 0.05 & aOR: 0.72; p < 0.05] and female rural residents had higher odds of having public stigma [aOR: 1.36; p < 0.05]. Conclusion: Our study findings suggest the importance of considering thegender differentials and their background, education status and residential status in designing effective interventions to improve knowledge and reduce risk perception and stigma in the community about COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The characteristics of COVID-19, such as the long incubation period, the fast transmission speed, the high demand for treatment, and the lack of prior treatment experience, have brought tremendous psychological stress to the medical staff involved in the epidemic prevention and control, seriously affecting the mental health of medical staff. Therefore, this paper conducts a discussion on the psychological stress and mental health of medical staff. METHODS: (1)Interview 28 medical staff fighting against COVID-19 from Wuhan Central Hospital and Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese medicine. They have worked as doctors in mental health departments, surgery departments and emergency departments, nurses and management staffs; (2)Based on interviews and literature, the questionnaire survey is conducted among 528 medical personnel from all over the country who have participated in the fight against COVID-19 in Wuhan; (3)Use the structural equation modeling to explore the influence mechanism of medical staff's psychological stress and mental health in the prevention and control of COVID-19. Results: The epidemic severity in hospital and the work intensity are the important psychological stressors for the front-line medical staff. Self-risk perception has a mediating effect on the severity of epidemic in hospitals and mental health of medical staff. Social identification has no moderating effect between the self-risk perception and the mental health.