Separation and Discrimination: The Lived Experience of COVID-19 Survivors in Philippine Isolation Centers

Social isolation in times of pandemic can affect the well-being of individuals infected with a contagious disease. This study explores the lived experience of the 12 COVID-19 survivors placed in community-based isolation centers in Cebu City, Philippines and whose cases were mild and asymptomatic. In describing their lived experience, we employed Max van Manen's phenomenology of practice. Results show that the COVID-19 survivors have suffered more from the consequences of separation and discrimination than the disease's physiological effects. Educating the whole community about social responsibility and ethical behavior in dealing with COVID-19 survivors is essential to minimize social stigma and discrimination.

Perspectives of human resource practitioners in two urban local authorities in Zimbabwe

Orientation: This study examines the experiences of human resource (HR) practitioners in two urban local authorities (ULAs) in Zimbabwe. Research purpose: The research aimed to understand the human resource management (HRM)-oriented strategies and the extent to which HR practitioners' experiences could enable effective implementation. Motivation for the study: There is a need to understand the challenges HR practitioners in ULAs in Zimbabwe face in delivering effective HRM. Research approach/design and method: The study adopted a qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews with 17 purposively selected HR practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to extract themes from the interviews. Main findings: The findings revealed five themes of HRM challenges in Zimbabwean ULAs, including political interference, resource constraints, bureaucracy and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Human resource management delivery is hindered by stakeholder involvement, performance management gaps, technology gaps and limited interaction with line management. Additionally, traditional HRM approaches committee-focused procedures, and inadequate investment in employee education limit HRM capabilities and procedures. Practical/managerial implications: The study suggests that policymakers and HR practitioners in ULAs in Zimbabwe should pay attention to the identified HRM challenges and proposed solutions to enhance HRM delivery and HR performance. The proposed conceptual model can serve as a guide to overcoming HRM challenges. Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the limited research on public sector HRM in Africa, and stakeholders and HR practitioners can benefit from the conceptual model and recommendations for streamlining HRM procedures in ULAs in Zimbabwe. © 2023. The Authors.

The importance of the supervisory relationship during adverse and unprecedented times

The article explores supervision during a time of adversity during a global, unforeseen pandemic-Covid 19. This has led to times of extreme struggle, creating an unknown and fearful world for many, ultimately impacting both the therapists and client's worlds as modes of working are restructured and a 'new normal' is sought. The article investigates, through lived experience, how supervision can be used effectively during the health pandemic through using a duoethnography approach. An exploration of working from a position of perceived disempowerment and the challenges of overcoming barriers in an increasingly unsteady socio-political landscape is presented. Vignettes and images of the lived experiences of the supervisor and supervisee are provided, alongside the main body of content, highlighting the importance of the supervisory relationship. Supervision, and the consistency of its practice in this instance, is shown to enable the exploration of the client world and 'meaning making' despite the global pandemic crisis. It is demonstrated that through effective stability within the supervisory relationship, supervisees' can be empowered to continue providing therapeutically sound services for clients through times of national crisis. Supervision is now, more than ever, needed to support therapists in this brash, destructive, uncertain world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

'It feels smaller now': The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on apartment residents and their living environment - A longitudinal study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions prolonged residents' exposure to their home environment. The impact of lockdowns could be heightened for apartment residents as they typically have smaller, less versatile homes, and share communal and circulation spaces. This study examined changes in apartment residents' perceptions and experiences of their dwelling before and after the Australian COVID-19 national lockdown. Methods: Participants consisted of 214 Australian adults who completed a survey on apartment living between 2017 and 2019 and a follow-up survey in 2020. Questions focused on residents' perceptions of their dwelling design, apartment living experiences, and personal life events/changes due to the pandemic. Differences between pre- and post-lockdown periods were assessed via paired sample t-tests. The lived experience of a subset of residents (n = 91) following lockdown was also assessed using qualitative content analysis of free-text responses to an open-ended survey item. Results: Compared to the pre-pandemic period, after the lockdown residents reported less satisfaction with the amount/layout of their apartment space and private open space (e.g., balconies or courtyards). Increased noise annoyance from indoor and outdoor noise sources was also reported, however disputes with neighbours decreased. The qualitative content analysis highlighted a complex interplay of personal, social and environmental impacts of the pandemic on residents. Conclusions: Findings suggest an increased 'dose' of the apartment facilitated by stay-at-home orders negatively influenced residents' apartment perceptions. Design strategies that maximise spacious, flexible dwelling layouts with health-promoting elements (e.g., enhanced natural light/ventilation and private open space) are recommended to promote healthy and restorative living environments for apartment residents.

Iranian women, e-learning, and experience of motherhood in the age of COVID-19: An analysis of mothers' lived experience of their children's e-learning

The present study aimed to explore the lived experience of Iranian mothers about the process of e-learning for their children by way of a qualitative approach and phenomenological study. Semi-structured telephone interviews were held with 28 mothers residing in Tehran (the capital of Iran) in the second half of 2021. Maximum variation sampling was carried out to recruit a variety of interviewees, and theoretical sampling was performed to reach conceptual saturation. The interview data were encoded by thematic analysis. The themes were classified into the three categories of basic, organizing, and global themes. The research findings showed that Iranian mothers have been faced with multiple challenges, burdens, and inequalities with respect to their children's e-learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Family-centered and mother-centered e-learning, motherhood at the intersection of multiple identities, mothers' multiple fears and concerns, and gender inequality in parental duties constituted a major part of the lived experience of Iranian mothers during the pandemic. In total, the findings showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the multiple responsibilities of women, especially about their children, and has delegated a double burden of education responsibilities to mothers.

"A Switch Went off in my Whole Body": Lived Experiences of Fatigue and Post-Exertional Malaise in Long Covid

The growing HCI agenda on health has focused on different chronic conditions but less so on Long Covid, despite its severe impact on the quality of life. We report findings from 2 workshops with 13 people living with Long Covid, indicating the challenges of making sense of their physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms, and of monitoring the triggers of post-exertional malaise. While most participants engage in pacing activities for the self-management of fatigue, only a few are aware of the importance of planning all their daily activities and routines in order to avoid post-exertional malaise. We conclude with design implications to support lightweight tracking and sensemaking of fatigue symptoms, novel data analytics for monitoring the triggers of post-exertional malaise and the worsening of symptoms, and support for self-management in order to prevent post-exertional malaise. © 2023 Owner/Author.

The Impact of COVID-19 on PhD Research: An Autoethnographic Account by an International Student in Melbourne

Being a researcher on a highly sensitive issue and an international PhD student in Melbourne, I have faced significant challenges throughout my ongoing PhD journey. Using an autoethnographic approach, this chapter describes the lived experiences of the intense situations that impacted my research activities under the COVID-19 pandemic. Through my PhD, I am committed to contributing my bit toward changing global perceptions of HIV and AIDS. My intrinsic motivations draw from the death of my brother figure and childhood best friend. These motivations have enabled me to fight back against numerous challenges that have appeared within the circle of research opportunities. I dealt with each challenge by returning to my intrinsic motivations, showing resilience, and progressing with my research. In the beginning, I had challenges getting my project approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of my University, which took about two years. Once my research was approved, the COVID-19 pandemic situation pushed me back to square one. Subsequently, I chose an online research methodology due to the state of helplessness I experienced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. These conditions changed my overall research landscape and introduced several unanticipated challenges to my original plans to conduct an ethnographic study. Based on my reflections, I recommend that all PhD researchers, and international students in particular, pay significant attention to the timeline of their candidature. Researchers need to be flexible and rationalise the importance of continuing their research activities amidst difficult situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Encountering suffering in digital care: a qualitative study of providers' experiences in telemental health care.

BACKGROUND: Encountering patients who are suffering is common in health care, and particularly when providing mental health care. Telehealth technologies are increasingly used to provide mental health care, yet little is known about the experiences of providers when encountering patients who are suffering within remote care. The present study explored health care providers' lived experiences of encountering patient suffering during telemental health care. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to uncover participants' experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of physicians, psychologists, and therapists who used telemental health in varied clinical practices in Sweden. Data were analyzed using descriptive phenomenology. RESULTS: Telehealth care with patients who were suffering was experienced by providers as loose connections, both literally in compromised functioning of the technology and figuratively in a compromised ability connecting emotionally with patients. Providers' lived experiences were explicated into the following aspects: insecurity in digital practice, inaccessibility of the armamentarium, and conviction in the value of telehealth care. Interpersonal connection between patient and provider is necessary. Worry and guilt arose for providers with fears that technology would not work, patient status was deteriorated, or the care needed could not be delivered. Providers overcame barriers in telehealth encounters, and expressed they perceived that patients appreciated the care received, and through it found relief. CONCLUSIONS: This study brings an understanding of experiences in providing telemental care for patients who are suffering. Providers experience challenges in connecting with patients, and in accessing tools needed to enable reaching the goals of the caring encounter. Efforts to ensure functioning of technology, comfort with its use, and accessibility of tools might be some accommodations to support providers for successful and rewarding telehealth care encounters.

The lived experiences of elementary school teachers' implementation of social-emotional learning: transitions from in-person and remote settings

This qualitative study examined elementary school teachers' transitions from in-person to remote social-emotional learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in a northeastern US public school district. This study addressed the following central research question using Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory and CASEL's Framework (2021) for social and emotional learning: What were teachers' lived experiences while teaching social-emotional learning (SEL) during both remote and in-person instruction in elementary school throughout the Covid-19 pandemic? Eight teachers from one suburban elementary school shared their experiences meeting students' social-emotional needs during the pandemic. This study examined teacher perspectives on social-emotional learning in in-person and remote settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interview questions provided narrative inquiry study answers. According to interviews, teachers implemented social and emotional learning with uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. Teachers believed they could teach social and emotional learning remotely and in person despite the pandemic because of their perseverance, awareness, and social interactions. They did this by relying on their colleagues for support and encouragement, realizing the importance of their work with students, and allowing students to express their emotions and feelings while learning remotely and in person. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"If I Can't Do It, Who Will?" Lived Experiences of Australian Emergency Nurses During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 180,000 health care workers have died in the fight against COVID-19. Emergency nurses have experienced relentless pressure in maintaining the health and well-being of their patients, often to their detriment. METHODS: This research aimed to gain an understanding of lived experiences of Australian emergency nurses working on the frontline during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research design was used, guided by an interpretive hermeneutic phenomenological approach. A total of 10 Victorian emergency nurses from both regional and metropolitan hospitals were interviewed between September and November 2020. Analysis was undertaken using a thematic analysis method. RESULTS: A total of 4 major themes were produced from the data. The 4 overarching themes included mixed messages, changes to practice, living through a pandemic, and 2021: here we come. DISCUSSION: Emergency nurses have been exposed to extreme physical, mental, and emotional conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A greater emphasis on the mental and emotional well-being of frontline workers is paramount to the success of maintaining a strong and resilient health care workforce.

Report from the Field the Power of First Voice Advocacy: Rallying Lived Expertise to Support Equitable Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care in Canada

This report describes a national lived experience advocacy movement support equitable transitions to adulthood for youth in care in Canada. The emergence of the National Council at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic is presented, as well as the ongoing progress and achievements in advocacy and best practice efforts at the national and local jurisdiction levels. This article, by three members of the National Council, is the first to provide an account of the process associated with national lived experience advocacy mobilization by and for youth in care.

The Phenomenon of Leading without Guidebook: Educational Leadership Practices of Philippine School Principals in Virulent COVID-19 Times

The school principals play a pivotal role in leading educational institutions. Their lived experience as educational leaders in the context of a virulent crisis, however, is largely unexplored. This paper sought to discover the essence of educational leadership practices of school principals in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis. Following phenomenology as a research design, the researcher explored the world of six Filipino school principals through interview procedures. The analysis method developed by Colaizzi (1978) was used. The results revealed six emerging themes of educational leadership practices during a crisis as follows: 1.) navigating the crisis with adaptive leadership;2.) cultivating practices in crisis management;3.) managing through the machine;4.) freezing the standards and patterns;5.) promoting inclusivity in the new normal;and 6.) caring first for what is essential. These themes form the basis of the description and structure of the phenomenon offered at the end of the paper. Considering the present scarcity of knowledge on how school principals respond in times of crisis, this paper provides insights into educational leadership practices within the context of the COVID-19 situation.

Corrigendum: The pandemic experience survey II: A second corpus of subjective reports of life under social restrictions during COVID-19 in the UK, Japan, and Mexico.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.913096.].

The impact of covid-19 lockdown on parents and young people with autism spectrum disorder (asd)

The spread of COVID-19 resulted in restrictive lockdowns. For families supporting young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the service system was stripped away. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of this challenging situation on a group of Australian carers and parents of children and young people with ASD, with an intention to inform policy and practice based on the lived experiences of these families. A survey of parents of children and young people with ASD in Australia returned 117 responses, of which 86 responded to open-ended questions about COVID-19 lockdowns. Twelve parents responded to the invitation to be interviewed. Interview and survey data were analysed thematically. Five themes emerged: accessing support services, receiving support services online, changes in behaviour, higher levels of conflict, and impact on health and relationships. The experience of lockdowns under COVID-19 undermined informal and formal support systems, and had a particularly strong negative impact on the experiences of children with ASD and their families. These findings also provide support for understanding the social model of disability as a mainstay in the lives of children with disabilities and their carers. IMPLICATIONS The social model of disability was dismantled for children and young people and their carers during the COVID crisis. This unacceptable attack on the human rights of disabled people (people with a disability) needs future planning to ensure that it does not occur again. Future crises require more nuanced policy and practice responses that do not close off all child and family supports to children with ASD and their carers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Co-producing rapid research: Strengths and challenges from a lived experience perspective.

The Lived Experience Researchers (LERs) of the Mental Health Policy Research Unit (MHPRU) reflect on the experience of conducting rapid co-produced research, particularly during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this perspective article, we introduce requirements for co-production applying the 4Pi Framework, reflect on specific characteristics of co-production in rapid research, discuss strengths and challenges for involvement of LERs in rapid research, and lastly provide recommendations to achieve meaningful involvement. Incorporating meaningful co-production is an augmentation to any research project, with several benefits to the research, to the team, and to individual researchers. Particularly in the case of rapid research, that aims for efficient translation of knowledge into practice, involvement of experts by experience will be key. The work conducted by the MHPRU LERs presented in this paper demonstrates the viability, value, and potential of this way of working.

Autistics working in academia: What are the barriers and facilitators?

LAY ABSTRACT: Academia appears to provide an ideal career option for autistic people: the opportunity to lock ourselves away in an ivory tower and utilise our extensive knowledge of a very specific topic. We know autistic people are underrepresented in postsecondary education, and there is a growing body of research on how to make universities more inclusive. What is missing from the literature is the voices of autistic people who have survived the university experience and gone on to become university teachers and researchers. Increasing the visibility of autistics in academia, and exploring the barriers and facilitators they experience in an academic career, is important to raise the aspirations of future university students and graduates. This study included 37 autistic academics from various disciplines and countries, exploring their perceptions of the positive and negative aspects of being an autistic in academia.

The lived experience of stress for parents in the context of COVID-19–related disruption

Objective: This mixed methods study sought to explore the lived experience of stress for parents of young dependent children during COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia. Background: Public health restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately burdened parents as they balanced novel and competing role demands. Despite growing research on impacts to parent mental health, much less is known about parenting at the experiential level during this period. Method: Data were derived from free-text survey responses collected during 2020 in an Australian population cohort study and analyzed in a mixed methods approach focusing on descriptive phenomenology. Twenty-eight parent accounts of either ‘extreme' or ‘minimal' stress experiences were subject to phenomenological analysis of the individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors associated with each stress category. Results: Three themes defined ‘extreme' stress experiences: inadequacy of resources to cope, perceived lack of control, and compounding stressors. Two themes characterized ‘minimal' stress experiences: feeling well resourced to cope and the absence of significant disruption to everyday life. Conclusion: Findings highlight three targets in particular: compounding stressors, family relationships, and gendered differences in parental stress. Implications: Intervention efforts should focus on better resourcing parents experiencing accumulating stressors through provision of individual and relational support and by addressing the higher burden experienced by mothers compared with fathers across pandemic related lockdowns. © 2023 The Authors. Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.

An examination of Terrebonne Parish's elderly people's lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of Terrebonne Parish's elderly Black pandemic survivors and their mental health conditions while living through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aims to investigate potential policy solutions that government officials should have used to improve mental health access during the pandemic. In this study, a convenient sample of ten participants who meet the following criteria was used: must be Black, over the age of 60, and live in Terrebonne Parish. Techniques used in this study to understand Terrebonne Parish's Black elderly people's lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic were phenomenological interviews followed by surveys based on the themes extracted from their interviews. Results of phenomenological interviews and surveys indicate that Black elderly people in Terrebonne Parish experienced trauma from isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also indicate that participants' main concerns during the pandemic centered around staying healthy-both physically and mentally-in order to visit their family once the detrimental impacts of the pandemic began to subside. Another common theme that emanated from the data was that participants believed that Terrebonne Parish officials should have utilized community centers to help elderly Black people understand the impacts of COVID-19 and the resources that were available to them during the pandemic;provided more information regarding the mental health resources that were available to them during the pandemic;and that the government should have provide more targeted resources that would specifically help Black people successfully navigate the pandemic. In conclusion, based on the funding packages that Terrebonne Parish received from the Federal Government, Black elderly people were correct in their assertion that the government could have provided more resources to improve their mental health during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

How learning from the lived experiences of child protection social workers, can help us understand the factors underpinning workforce instability within the english child protection system

ABSTRACT The English child protection system continues to be the focus of national commentary in light of several high-profile deaths and the recently published reports from the Review of Children's Social Care, and the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. Whilst narratives of 'failure', 'betrayal', and 'scandalous incompetence' perpetuate, these forgo consideration of the complexity of child protection work, nor do they acknowledge that during the COVID-19 'lockdowns', social workers remained one of the few professional groups visiting vulnerable families at home. Moreover, of the recent accounts of the lived experience of social workers, these have omitted a specific overview of what it means to be a child protection practitioner. Drawing from an original ethnography of a statutory child protection team and supplemented by follow-up interviews, the article seeks to elucidate the long-standing lived experience of a cohort of child protection social workers. It highlights a 'tendency' to be the target of threats and intimidation and identifies other costs in the context of health and personal relationships. The article concludes that these findings could help us better understand child protection workforce instability and the system's reliance on agency staff - both of which continue to be identified as contributory in child death tragedies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

‘We all sort of struggled through it together': students' lived experiences of university life during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes to the student experience. Thus, there is a need to centre students' lived experiences in pedagogical research which explores the effects of the pandemic on student life. The current study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted undergraduate students, with a focus on students' educational experiences, social interactions, and mental wellbeing. Open-ended questionnaires were disseminated to undergraduate students across the UK (N = 53). A student-centred reflexive thematic analysis identified four dominant themes that each relate to students' lived experiences of Higher Education during COVID-19. These were: variations in motivation during the pandemic, the importance of personal connection, a disconnect between university and the student, and students' development through adversity. These themes broadly demonstrate the variability in student experiences during the pandemic and, crucially, highlight the need for future education provision to centre personal connections, including between students and their institutions. Lack of interaction with staff and peers, as well as barriers to support, led to feelings of detachment from university. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.