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canadian migrants facing 'big rise' in social stigma during covid, study says

the pandemic has contributed to "labelling that disproportionately affects marginalized minority groups, especially immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations,” researchers reported.

by dave yasvinski

mar 15 2022

2 minute read

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canadian migrants facing 'big rise' in social stigma during covid

vaccine-hesitant immigrants were almost twice as likely to be skeptical about vaccines. getty

migrants to canada are almost twice as likely as canadian-born residents to fear becoming targets of stigma during the pandemic, according to a new study that emphasizes the importance of health equity, particularly in turbulent times.

the study, published in the journal of immigrant and minority health , also found that migrants were more likely to be skeptical of vaccines and perceive health risks when accessing care during the early stages of the pandemic. among those who expected to face stigma, canadian residents were more fearful of running afoul of masking guidelines; migrants to canada, however, were three times more likely to attribute their fears to racial identity or other non-health or behavioural factors.

‘othering’ and labelling

“fear and anxiety about covid-19 have sparked big rise in social stigma,” said shen (lamson) lin , lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate and researcher at the university of toronto’s factor-inwentash faculty of social work. “the pandemic and consequential public health restrictions seem to have contributed to ‘othering’ and labelling that disproportionately affects marginalized minority groups — especially immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations.”

these concerns made immigrants more likely to see visiting the hospital during the pandemic as a health risk. “excess fear of stigmatization among immigrant populations may be partly ignited by a tendency to frame covid-19 as foreign virus,” lin said. “this framing blames the pandemic on foreign ‘others’ and exacerbates physical and mental health disparities already present in the immigrant and refugee communities.

“those who fear stigmatization often hide symptoms or illnesses and may avoid obtaining early medical attention, which can make it more difficult to limit the spread of the virus.”

researchers arrived at their conclusions after analyzing publicly available data from statistics canada’s canadian perspective survey series 3 (cpss-3, june 15 to 21, 2020). the survey, which included data from 2,924 non-immigrants and 598 immigrants, had a response rate of 58.1 per cent. it revealed that while 16.9 per cent of all participants experienced some hesitancy before the vaccines were authorized for use in canada, the sentiment was greater among migrants than canadian-born residents (21.5 to 15.5 per cent).

among the hesitant, immigrants were more concerned about vaccine safety (71.3 to 49.5 per cent) and side effects (66.4 per cent to 47.3 per cent) than non-immigrants. vaccine-hesitant immigrants were almost twice as likely to be skeptical about vaccines.

“our response to the covid-19 pandemic must include confronting xenophobia and stigmatization in order to mitigate heightened fear and mistrust of new vaccines among immigrants amidst turbulent times,” lin said. “health authorities need to ensure equitable access to covid-19 vaccines and other health-enhancing resources for immigrant communities.

“it is vital for any covid-19 recovery plans to proactively include migrant and displaced populations — regardless of their legal status. health equity should be placed at the centre of the pandemic responses.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with  healthing.ca

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dave yasvinski

canadian migrants facing 'big rise' in social stigma during covid, study says

the pandemic has contributed to "labelling that disproportionately affects marginalized minority groups, especially immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations,” researchers reported.

‘othering’ and labelling

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canadian migrants facing 'big rise' in social stigma during covid, study says

the pandemic has contributed to "labelling that disproportionately affects marginalized minority groups, especially immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations,” researchers reported.

‘othering’ and labelling

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