Aim:

Explore the factors of social stigmatization of intensive care nurses at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method:

Exploratory observational study to verify the factors of social stigmatization in intensive care nurses who cared for patients with Covid-19 at the beginning of the pandemic using non-probabilistic sampling. The Referenced Stigma Questionnaire for Intensive Care Nurses was used.

Results:

135 nurses participated, 82,2 % women, 85,9 % between 25 and 44 years old. They manifested stress (36,3 %), insomnia (32,6 %) and anxiety (31,8 %) as associated symptoms. The scale showed a α Cronbach coefficient 0.866, a Kaiser Mayer Olkin index of 0.886, and Bartlett´s test <0.001, with three areas of social stigma that reached 61,71 % of the variability of the construct: Social Isolation, Exposure to SARS-Cov-2 and Professional vulnerability.

Conclusions:

Professional vulnerability is based on stress, the feeling of fragility or concern about contagion, presenting ambivalent feelings. Social isolation would be caused by negative social attitudes that stereotypes cause. Social stigma occurs in the context of care for patients with emerging infectious-contagious diseases.