“Everything Changed, Would You Like Me to Elaborate?”: A Qualitative Examination of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Community Participation Among Young Adults with Early Psychosis and Their Families

Abstract

OnTrackNY provides early intervention services to young people with early psychosis throughout New York State. This report describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community participation of OnTrackNY program participants and their families. Thirteen participants and nine family members participated in five focus groups and three individual semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a summary template and matrix analysis approach. Major themes highlight the negative impacts of the pandemic with reports of decreased socializing or using online means to connect, unemployment, challenges with online learning and a decrease in civic engagement. Positive impacts include more time to deepen connections with family and valued friendships and engage in activities that promote wellness and goal attainment. Implications for coordinated specialty care programs include adapting services to promote mainstream community integration and creating new strategies for community involvement of young people within a new context brought forth by the pandemic.

How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect the personal lives and care realities of people with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder? A qualitative interview study

“…having spare time to learn something new). Similar observations have been made in various other psychiatric and non-psychiatric study populations (Burton et al, 2021;McCombie et al, 2020;Patel et al, 2022;Tandt et al, 2022).…”

“…Participants reported a considerable loss of daily routines and social activities due to public infection containment measures. Similar findings have been reported across various populations – including people with psychotic and bipolar disorders (Aminoff et al, 2022; Patel et al, 2022), those with other mental health conditions (Burton et al, 2021; Gillard et al, 2021; Tandt et al, 2022) and different groups without a psychiatric diagnosis (McKinlay et al, 2021, 2022; Mizrak Sahin & Kabakci, 2021). However, loss of day-to-day routines and social activities can be particularly challenging for people with SSDs, where planned daily activities, as well as regular social contact, are often essential pillars to maintain reality testing, mental stability and control negative symptoms.…”

“You Have No Idea How Much ‘Just Get the Shot’ Is Triggering Me”: Experiences of COVID-19 Vaccination in Individuals with Psychosis and Schizophrenia

“…Such studies typically focus on the overall experiences of COVID-19, though some aspects of the pandemic may be more problematic than others. For example, Patel et al (2022) highlights the extent to which the pandemic impacted the community participation of young adults with early psychosis. In the present study, we aim to extend the previous literature on this subject and explore experiences of COVID-19 vaccination in those with psychosis or schizophrenia through qualitative analysis of online forum posts.…”