ABSTRACT
The objective of the current study was to investigate the grief experiences of people affected by COVID-19. The study adopted a qualitative design of descriptive phenomenology. Fifteen adults who had lost a family member during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected as the sample through the purposive sampling method until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and the Colaizzi analysis method. Six main themes (i.e., unexpressed grief, psychosomatic reactions, negative emotions, family problems, and social and occupational problems) were extracted. Data analysis showed that complex disenfranchised grief is the pervasive consequence of the COVID-19 experience. According to the findings, participants experienced disenfranchised grief during the loss of their loved ones due to the COVID-19 disease, which was a complex, painful experience accompanied by negative emotions and family, work, and social tensions. This grief is accompanied by more severe and prolonged symptoms, making it difficult for the bereaved to return to normal life. In unexpressed grieving, there are intense feelings of grief, pain, separation, despair, emptiness, low self-esteem, bitterness, or longing for the presence of the deceased. This grief originated from the conditions of quarantine and physical distance on the one hand, which required the control of the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, and on the other hand, the cultural-religious context of the Iranian people.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has endangered people's health, especially that of the elderly, worldwide, and has caused many psychosocial damages. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the psychological experiences of the elderly during the pandemic of COVID-19. This was a qualitative study of phenomenological type, in which the content analysis method was used. Fifteen elderly (60 years and older) experiencing quarantine conditions and physical distancing without COVID-19 infection were selected as the study sample using purposive sampling method. Sampling was continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and Colaizzi analysis was used to analyze them. Extracted findings from the interviews were classified into 6 main themes (empty nest experience, hypersensitivity, psychological distress, personal problems, interpersonal problems and tension resulted from conditions) and 26 sub-themes. The results of this study indicated that the prevalence of COVID-19 has strongly affected all aspects of mental health in the elderly and that the serious effects of this pandemic have influenced the various aspects of their individual, interpersonal and social life. Therefore, it can be concluded that the elderly face many challenges during the outbreak of COVID-19 and need to receive appropriate psychological interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)