A significant number of people, including healthcare workers, conceal infectious illnesses to maintain their work and social commitments. The study, involving over 4,100 participants, found that 75% had hidden or might hide their illness in the future, often due to social plans or institutional pressures.
Despite the potential harm to others, actively sick individuals frequently reported concealing illnesses of varying severity and transmissibility. This research highlights a critical public health issue, underscoring the need for solutions beyond individual responsibility.
Key Facts:
- 75% of participants admitted to hiding or considering hiding an infectious illness in various social contexts.
- More than 61% of healthcare workers confessed to concealing their illness.
- The study suggests a discrepancy between how people predict they would act when sick and their actual behavior, with many downplaying the severity and transmissibility of their illness.
A startling number of people conceal an infectious illness to avoid missing work, travel, or social events, new research at the University of Michigan suggests.
The findings are reported in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Across a series of studies involving healthy and sick adults, 75% of the 4,110 participants said they had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in the future. Many participants reported boarding planes, going on dates, and engaging in other social interactions while secretly sick. More than 61% of healthcare workers participating in the study also said they had concealed an infectious illness.
Interestingly, the researchers found a difference between how people believe they would act when ill and how they actually behave, said Wilson N. Merrell, a doctoral candidate and lead author on the study.