Psychosocial challenges and concerns of COVID-19: A qualitative study in Iran

Abstract

As the world struggles to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that the psychosocial aspects related to health are attended to in addition to biological aspects. To this end, the present study aimed to explore the challenges and concerns facing people affected by COVID-19. This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis method. A total of 25 people affected by COVID-19 were selected purposefully and administered semi-structured interviews. The sampling continued until data saturation. Coding and analysis of data were performed simultaneously using the Granheim method. After reviewing codes, checking the consistency and comparing categories, 5 categories, and 15 subcategories were explored. The most important psychosocial challenges of COVID-19 included the lack of accurate and timely dissemination of information, the intensification of economic problems, psychological instability, weakness in social prevention, and the suspension of social rituals. Identifying the psychosocial challenges and problems of people who faced by pandemic diseases such as COVID-19, and developing appropriate and timely planning for managing them can lead to designing effective strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery of affected communities.

Infection control in the home: a qualitative study exploring perceptions and experiences of adhering to protective behaviours in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic

“… 10 Further, our findings regarding the need for emotional connection and intimacy provide support for recent qualitative research into the impact of COVID-19 and adherence to government guidance, which showed that some may only partially adhere to the behaviours due to the need for and cultural importance of social contact, and some reported feelings of loss and grief over the loss of social interaction during lockdown. 21–23 Concerns about the negative impact of self-isolation, both in terms of practical logistics and emotional well-being, were also raised in a qualitative study with people who had been in contact with someone with COVID-19. 24 This suggests that self-isolation is a very difficult behaviour for many people even when risk is known to be high, and that appropriate support is essential.…”

“…Additionally, the need for clarity and consistency in government and public health guidance has also been highlighted in other studies as important in aiding the public to adhere to infection control behaviours. 21 23 25 …”

Suffering and Salutogenesis: A Conceptual Analysis of Lessons for Psychiatry From Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0) in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In principle, the integration of PP2.0 into a broader salutogenic framework for psychological intervention, particularly in the context of COVID-19, has many advantages over conventional approaches. The development of a formal therapeutic model or manual for such an intervention would require further inputs from a wide range of stakeholders, including (1) direct perspectives from persons affected by the pandemic across countries and cultures (Alipour et al, 2020;Mazumder et al, 2021); (2) discussions with healthcare workers handling mental health issues during the pandemic, to outline their perceptions of the "conventional" psychiatric approach and the limitations thereof (Bommersbach et al, 2021); (3) expert opinions from specialists already involved in interventions based on a salutogenic, PP2.0, or person-centered approach (Christodoulou et al, 2018;Wong, 2020); (4) inputs from local community and spiritual leaders, to identify those aspects of meaningfulness and coherence that are culturally relevant and could foster resilience (Thompkins et al, 2020); (5) the perspectives of social science experts and policy makers on which systemic interventions could foster a SOC and strengthen resistance resources (Christodoulou et al, 2018;Alvarez et al, 2020); (6) specific advice from experts in information technology, in order to devise optimal strategies on adapting salutogenic-PP2.0 principles to interventions delivered via mobile or social media platforms (Goransson et al, 2020), and (7) careful planning of intervention trials in collaboration with experts in biostatistics and research methodology, to avoid the methodological flaws that affected earlier studies in this field (Alvarez et al, 2020). It is hoped that the preliminary steps outlined in this paper are of use not only to researchers, but to clinicians and those involved in formulating policies to help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Mental images of nurses regarding COVID‐19: A metaphor study

“…Another metaphor subtheme determined in this theme was concepts related to diseases and within this scope, nurses were mostly determined to use metaphors related to diseases like flu and cancer. Alipour et al ( 2020 ), Moradi et al ( 2020 ) and Galehdar et al ( 2020 ) determined that individuals, participating in their qualitative studies completed with the aim of determining psychological changes induced in individuals by COVID‐19, defined COVID‐19 as a difficult and unpredictable disease process. It is a normal situation that this process, which affects the whole world and many people both physically and psychologically, is perceived by nurses as a widespread disease.…”

“…Another metaphor subtheme determined in this theme was concepts related to diseases and within this scope, nurses were mostly determined to use metaphors related to diseases like flu and cancer. Alipour et al (2020), Moradi et al (2020) and Galehdar et al (2020)…”