Hubungan antara Tingkat Pengetahuan dan Stigma Masyarakat terhadap Penderita COVID-19 di Kecamatan Karawang Timur

Abstract. The emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak has many impacts on people's lives around the world, including social stigma and discrimination against COVID-19 sufferers from the community or people around them. The formation of stigma in society can be influenced by several factors, including knowledge. COVID-19 is a new disease, so public knowledge about COVID-19 is still very minimal. This causes the emergence of fear or concern in the community regarding the disease. This study aims to determine the relationship between the level of knowledge and community stigma against COVID-19 in East Karawang District. The research method is an observational analysis using a cross-sectional design. Data analysis using Chi Square test. The research sample was 150 people in Karawang City, which were taken by purposive sampling. The research data was taken using an instrument in the form of a questionnaire. The results showed that most of the people in East Karawang District had a good level of knowledge (84%) and negative stigma towards COVID-19 sufferers (50.7%). The results of the statistical test showed that there was a significant relationship between the level of knowledge and the stigma of society towards people with COVID-19 in East Karawang District (p<0.05). The high rate of transmission and death caused by COVID-19 can cause fear and anxiety and result in the emergence of a negative stigma against COVID-19 sufferers, even though the level of public knowledge is already good. Abstrak. Wabah COVID-19 memiliki banyak dampak terhadap kehidupan masyarakat di seluruh dunia, diantaranya berupa stigma sosial dan diskriminasi terhadap penderita COVID-19 dari masyarakat atau orang-orang sekitarnya. Terbentuknya stigma dalam masyarakat dapat dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor, diantaranya pengetahuan. COVID-19 merupakan penyakit yang baru sehingga pengetahuan masyarakat mengenai COVID-19 masih sangat minimal. Hal tersebut menyebabkan munculnya ketakutan ataupun kekhawatiran di masyarakat terkait penyakit tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara tingkat pengetahuan dan stigma masyarakat terhadap COVID-19 di Kecamatan Karawang Timur. Penelitian berupa analisis observasional menggunakan desain cross-sectional dengan analisis data menggunakan uji Chi Square. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 150 orang masyarakat di Kota Karawang yang diambil dengan cara purposive sampling. Data penelitian diambil menggunakan instrumen berupa kuisioner. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar masyarakat di Kecamatan Karawang Timur memiliki tingkat pengetahuan baik (84%) dan stigma negatif terhadap penderita COVID-19 (50,7%). Hasil uji statistik menunjukan terdapatnya hubungan yang signifikan antara tingkat pengetahuan dengan stigma masyarakat terhadap penderita COVID-19 di Kecamatan Karawang Timur  (p<0,05). Masih tingginya tingkat penularan dan kematian yang disebabkan COVID-19 dapat menimbulkan rasa takut dan cemas serta mengakibatkan munculnya stigma negatif terhadap penderita COVID-19, meskipun tingkat pengetahuan masyarakat sudah baik.