IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/tec/journl/v9y2020i1p352-363.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social representations of Covid-19 and stigmatization of healthcare personnel and people attained by abidjanese populations, Cote d'Ivoire

Author

Listed:
  • Kouame Kouakou Felicien

    (Department of Psychology, Training and Research Unit for Human and Social Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University Abidjan-Cocody, Cote d'Ivoire)

  • Digbeu Alain Fabrice

    (Department of Psychology, Training and Research Unit for Human and Social Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University Abidjan-Cocody, Cote d'Ivoire)

  • Samouth Aka Fabrice

    (Department of Psychology, Training and Research Unit for Human and Social Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University Abidjan-Cocody, Cote d'Ivoire)

Abstract

The present study aims to identify the structure of coronavirus social representations in order to understand the stigmatization of people with Covid-19 and of healthcare personnel by populations in Abidjan. To do this, we have drawn up a sample made up of the unemployed, pupils and students and workers. There are 325 participants, including 177 men and 148 women, with an age that varies between 16 and 59 years. These people are subjected to the evocation questionnaire according to the structural approach of social representations (Abric, 1994). Analysis of the data using evoc2005 and simi2005 shows that the evocations "containment", "death" and "invention" constitute the main components (central core) of the social representations of coronavirus. These elements, which reflect a lived experience of negative feelings, will generate the construction of negative prejudices and common beliefs that encourage avoidance behaviours among participants to flee the feared situation. It takes place inward withdrawal and rejection of the other which constitutes for the individual a danger. Hence the stigmatization of people who visibly "embody" danger, death (the object of fear), namely people with Covid-19 and caregivers. The results therefore suggest that in the fight against Covid-19 the psychological aspect is also important and must be taken into account.

Suggested Citation

  • Kouame Kouakou Felicien & Digbeu Alain Fabrice & Samouth Aka Fabrice, 2020. "Social representations of Covid-19 and stigmatization of healthcare personnel and people attained by abidjanese populations, Cote d'Ivoire," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 9(1), pages 352-363, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:tec:journl:v:9:y:2020:i:1:p:352-363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences/article/download/879/374
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences/article/view/879/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Whitley, Rob & Denise Campbell, Rosalyn, 2014. "Stigma, agency and recovery amongst people with severe mental illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-8.
    2. Schulze, Beate & Angermeyer, Matthias C., 2003. "Subjective experiences of stigma. A focus group study of schizophrenic patients, their relatives and mental health professionals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 299-312, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Timmermans, Stefan & Tietbohl, Caroline, 2018. "Fifty years of sociological leadership at Social Science and Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 209-215.
    2. Erdinç Kalayci & İmran Uzunaslan & Şerif Uzunaslan, 2023. "Caregiver burden experiences of caregivers of patients with schizophrenia: A qualitative inquiry," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(3), pages 543-550, May.
    3. Anton N Isaacs & Keith Sutton & Kim Dalziel & Darryl Maybery, 2017. "Outcomes of a care coordinated service model for persons with severe and persistent mental illness: A qualitative study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(1), pages 40-47, February.
    4. Vanessa Pinfold & Peter Byrne & Hilary Toulmin, 2005. "Challenging Stigma and Discrimination in Communities: A Focus Group Study Identifying UK Mental Health Service Users’ Main Campaign Priorities," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 51(2), pages 128-138, June.
    5. Jacobs, Susan & Quinn, Joseph, 2022. "Cultural reproduction of mental illness stigma and stereotypes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    6. Robillard, Chantal, 2010. "The gendered experience of stigmatization in severe and persistent mental illness in Lima, Peru," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(12), pages 2178-2186, December.
    7. Lorenza Magliano & Andrea Fiorillo & Heidegret Del Vecchio & Claudio Malangone & Corrado De Rosa & Carla Bachelet & Giampiero Cesari & Rosa D'Ambrogio & Francesca Fulgosi Cigala & Franco Veltro & Paol, 2009. "Development and Validation of a Self-Reported Questionnaire On Users’ Opinions About Schizophrenia: a Participatory Research," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 55(5), pages 425-441, September.
    8. Tritter, Jonathan Quetzal & McCallum, Alison, 2006. "The snakes and ladders of user involvement: Moving beyond Arnstein," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 156-168, April.
    9. Branimir Margetić & Branka Aukst-Margetić & Dragutin Ivanec & Igor FilipÄ ić, 2008. "Perception of Stigmatization in Forensic Patients With Schizophrenia," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 54(6), pages 502-513, November.
    10. Alex Dregan & Ann McNeill & Fiona Gaughran & Peter B Jones & Anna Bazley & Sean Cross & Kate Lillywhite & David Armstrong & Shubulade Smith & David P J Osborn & Robert Stewart & Til Wykes & Matthew Ho, 2020. "Potential gains in life expectancy from reducing amenable mortality among people diagnosed with serious mental illness in the United Kingdom," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, March.
    11. Kvaale, Erlend P. & Gottdiener, William H. & Haslam, Nick, 2013. "Biogenetic explanations and stigma: A meta-analytic review of associations among laypeople," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 95-103.
    12. Lotte Groth Jensen & Stina Lou & Jørgen Aagaard & Ulla Væggemose, 2017. "Community families: A qualitative study of families who volunteer to support persons with severe mental illness," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(1), pages 33-39, February.
    13. Tonje Fyhn & Simon Øverland & Silje E Reme, 2021. "Predictors of employment in people with moderate to severe mental illness participating in a randomized controlled trial of Individual Placement and Support (IPS)," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(2), pages 150-157, March.
    14. Carlos Arturo Cassiani-Miranda & Adalberto Campo-Arias & Andrés Felipe Tirado-Otálvaro & Luz Adriana Botero-Tobón & Luz Dary Upegui-Arango & María Soledad Rodríguez-Verdugo & María Elena Botero-, 2021. "Stigmatisation associated with COVID-19 in the general Colombian population," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(6), pages 728-736, September.
    15. Xi Chen & Jingjing Su & Daniel Thomas Bressington & Yan Li & Sau Fong Leung, 2022. "Perspectives of Nursing Students towards Schizophrenia Stigma: A Qualitative Study Protocol," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, August.
    16. Noor Ahmed Giasuddin & Itzhak Levav & Gilad Gal, 2015. "Mental health stigma and attitudes to psychiatry among Bangladeshi medical students," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(2), pages 137-147, March.
    17. Nuray A Karanci & Aylin Aras & Guler Beril Kumpasoğlu & Demet Can & Ekin Çakır & Cemrenur Karaaslan & Mine Semerci & Duygu Tüzün, 2019. "Living with schizophrenia: Perspectives of Turkish people with schizophrenia from two Patient Associations on how the illness affects their lives," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 65(2), pages 98-106, March.
    18. Whitley, Rob & Denise Campbell, Rosalyn, 2014. "Stigma, agency and recovery amongst people with severe mental illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-8.
    19. Sabrina Gabrielle Anjara & Chiara Bonetto & Poushali Ganguli & Diana Setiyawati & Yodi Mahendradhata & Bambang Hastha Yoga & Laksono Trisnantoro & Carol Brayne & Tine Van Bortel, 2019. "Can General Practitioners manage mental disorders in primary care? A partially randomised, pragmatic, cluster trial," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-26, November.
    20. Barlösius, Eva & Philipps, Axel, 2015. "Felt stigma and obesity: Introducing the generalized other," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 9-15.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social representations; Covid-19; stigma; people affected; healthcare staff; Abidjan;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tec:journl:v:9:y:2020:i:1:p:352-363. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tasente Tanase (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.