Factors influencing stigma among college students with COVID-19 in South Korea: a descriptive study.

PURPOSE: This study is descriptive research aiming to identify factors influencing the stigma experienced by college students with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), focusing on COVID-19 pandemic stress, depression, and fear of negative evaluation as the main variables.

METHODS: An online survey was administered to 175 college students who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 from January to May 2022 and were enrolled in universities in Seoul, Cheongju, and Daegu, South Korea. The survey collected data on pandemic stress, depression, fear of negative evaluation, and stigma. The data were analyzed using the t-test, ANOVA, the Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression in SPSS/WIN 26.0.

RESULTS: We analyzed differences in stigma scores based on general characteristics of the college students and found significant differences in stigma scores by age, major satisfaction, interpersonal satisfaction, date of COVID-19 confirmation, treatment modality, and recent subjective health condition. Factors influencing stigmatization were identified as COVID-19 pandemic stress, depression, date of COVID-19 confirmation, treatment modality, recent subjective health condition, and major satisfaction, with an overall explanatory power of 37.6%.

CONCLUSION: This study is significant as it identifies emotional changes across various aspects of pandemic stress, depression, fear of negative evaluation, and stigma among college students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The findings of this study suggest the development of programs to reduce psychological distress and enhance mental health management skills among these students.