Understanding individual experiences of COVID-19 to inform policy and practice in higher education: Helping students, staff, and faculty to thrive in times of crisis

Utilizing findings from more than 200 interviews with students, staff, and faculty at a US university, this volume explores the immediate and real-life impacts of COVID-19 on individuals to inform higher education policy and practice in times of crisis. Documenting the profound impacts that COVID-19 had on university operations and teaching, this book foregrounds a range of participant perspectives on key topics such as institutional leadership and loss of community, managing motivation and the move to online teaching and learning, and coping with the adverse mental health effects caused by the pandemic. Far from dwelling on the negative, the volume frames the lived experiences and implications of COVID-19 for higher education through a positive, progressive lens, and considers how institutions can best support individual and collective thriving during times of crisis. This book will benefit researchers, academics, and educators in higher education with an interest in the sociology of education, higher education management, and eLearning more broadly. Those specifically interested in student affairs practice, as well as the administration of higher education, will also benefit from this book. The chapters describe the experiences of students, staff, and faculty at the University of Utah as they adapted to the new COVID-19 reality in spring and summer 2020. The logistics of adjusting to online learning and working, the juggling act of managing their online learning and teaching while taking on responsibility for the learning of children in their homes, the reality of a struggling economy, and the social-political environment of a presidential election year and a burgeoning racial justice movement provide the backdrop for the experiences described in this monograph. This study has important implications for higher education leaders. It offers an in-depth and institutionally broad view of how different higher education stakeholders experienced the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 in Western Australia: 'The last straw' and hopes for a 'new normal' for parents of children with long-term conditions.

BACKGROUND: Children with long-term conditions are vulnerable due to the treatments required for their conditions. Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Western Australians experienced restrictions that changed daily life activities but were able to return to some of their previous routines due to the restrictions. AIM: The study explored the stress experiences of parents caring for children with long-term conditions during COVID-19 in Western Australia. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was codesigned with a parent representative caring for children with long-term conditions to ensure essential questions were targeted. Twelve parents of children with various long-term conditions were recruited. Ten parents completed the qualitative proforma, and two parents were interviewed in November 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were anonymised and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Two themes were produced: (1) 'Keep my child safe' describes the children's vulnerabilities due to their long-term conditions, the adjustments parents' made to keep their children safe and the various consequences faced. (2) 'COVID-19's silver lining' covers the positives of the COVID-19 pandemic, including their children having fewer infections, the availability of telehealth appointments, relationship improvements and the parent's hopes for a new normal where behaviours prevent transmission of infectious (e.g., hand sanitising). CONCLUSION: Western Australia provided a unique context for the COVID-19 pandemic due to no transmission of the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 at the time of the study. The tend and befriend theory aids in explaining the parents' stress experiences, and the application highlights a unique aspect of this theory. Parents tended to their children during COVID-19, but many could no longer rely on others for connection, support and respite, and became further isolated in attempting to protect their children due to COVID-19 consequences. The findings highlight that some parents of children with long-term conditions need specific attention during times of pandemics. Further review is recommended to support parents through the impact of COVID-19 and similar crises. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study was codesigned with an experienced parent representative who was part of the research team and involved throughout the research process to ensure meaningful end-user engagement and ensure essential questions and priorities were addressed.

Corrigendum: COVID-19 and parents of children with epilepsy: experiences and positive changes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1079518.].

Lived experiences and meanings of the COVID-19 pandemic: A case of the elderly survivors.

The extent of risk brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of the elderly has emphasized the need to investigate their experiences during these challenging times. This study was conducted to explore the elderly's lived experiences as COVID-19 patients and to understand how they make sense of and cope with what happened to them when infected with COVID-19. Using Husserl's descriptive phenomenology, 13 elderly from Naval, Biliran Province, Philippines were chosen as participants using purposive sampling. The total number of participants was determined through theoretical saturation. In-depth interviews and the writing of field notes were done to collect information on the participants' experiences. The transcripts were analyzed following Colaizzi's steps in descriptive phenomenological method of analysis. Four general themes emerged for the elderly's lived experiences during the pandemic. These included discrimination, social isolation, anxiety and stress, and fear. Findings revealed that despite the challenges the elderly encountered during the pandemic and when they tested positive for COVID-19, they had seen it as an opportunity to improve and change their practices. The strategies that the elderly employed to cope with the pandemic were all adaptive and have resulted in positive outcomes. Results of the study emphasize the need for more programs and policies to enhance the care and support provided to the elderly during a health crisis.

"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.

How TikTok served as a platform for young people to share and cope with lived COVID-19 experiences

The short-video app TikTok saw a large increase in usage during the COVID-19 lockdown because it provided entertainment, distraction, and social interaction based on video content engagement. We present results from an interview study with 28 U.S. TikTok users on how they shared and engaged with lived pandemic experiences on TikTok to cope with and socialize after the U.S. imposed its first lockdown. Participants had already established TikTok as a peer community platform on which sharing lived experiences felt appropriate. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, participants started to look for TikTok videos of shared lived pandemic experiences to interact with others when physical interaction was made impossible. We find that TikTok videos facilitated communication and parasocial interaction based on known audiovisual styles. Participants were able to communicate through video creation based on shared ways of presenting short-video content during COVID-19 physical distancing. © 2023 The authors.

Drawing on students' lived experiences in emergency remote teaching (ERT): reflections from a critical pedagogy inspired writing class

This study focuses on one particular attribute of critical pedagogy, which is engaging with the lived experiences of students. The aim was to examine how students experienced writing about their immediate realities under emergency remote teaching and learning conditions. Students were asked to write about what they had learnt as a result of being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Then, they were invited to post these stories on an online platform. Four themes emerged from students' reflections on writing about this experience. First, they felt that writing was purposeful and that they were writing for a larger audience. Second, because time and space for critical reflection was provided, some level of renewed dispositions towards the self and others was experienced. Third, writing became an emotionally charged process. Finally, numerous students reflected that writing about something so personal and being encouraged to share their experiences on a public online platform brought about a sense of discomfort. Hence, teachers who want to engage with critical pedagogy under "emergency” conditions may need to recontextualise their practice to suit the present needs and realities of students.

The lived experiences of selected choral directors during the COVID-19 pandemic

The shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic found secondary choral teachers moving traditional performance-based courses to the online venue. The pedagogical changes needed include implementing technology and disseminating information through learning management systems. Relationships between teachers and students, and teachers and colleagues, were challenged with the physical distance of quarantines in the Spring of 2020. This dissertation research project examined the difficulties six teachers faced concerning technology and relationships. I sat down for semi-structured interviews with six colleagues where I asked about their backgrounds, relationships with students and fellow colleagues, and the changes the pandemic brought to their perceptions of teaching. To conclude, I discussed the themes that arose and unexpected findings such as the importance of mental health for the educators and the change in content from curricular-driven to vital lifelines for communication during the height of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A Phenomenological Study on Students' Experiences in Learning Physics in an Online Class

Online learning keeps on growing and being explored during this pandemic. Most of the tertiary institutions here in the Philippines have shifted from face-to-face to online instructions in all courses including physics subjects. The conduct of physics classes through virtual classrooms has its advantages and presents some challenges that are why it is important to understand the perspective and experiences of students. This study aimed to describe the experiences of students in learning physics in a virtual classroom, specifically their experiences in preparation, learning management, opportunities, and challenges they have encountered. There were four themes that emerged in this study: Technological Preparations, Self-Preparations, Challenges in Online Learning, and Leaning Management and Opportunities. It was realized in this study that students were prepared to take online classes both in terms of their technological and personal aspect. Despite their preparations, they encountered challenges such as network issues, time constraints, and distractions in their learning environment at home. However, students were optimistic, so, they saw opportunities in these challenges to improve their technological skills, time management, and maximized online resources for better understanding of physics concepts. It is recommended for future research to explore the experiences of teachers in teaching online physics classes. © 2021 International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE). All rights reserved.

The lived experiences of special education administrators sensemaking during the COVID-19 pandemic

This qualitative narrative study design examined the lived experiences of the challenges special education administrators faced in implementing federal and state guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were comprised of special education administrators from a suburban county in New York state. Half of the participants were from a Title I school district. In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools across the country to close their doors, forcing schools to shift to online learning platforms. This left to sudden shifts in the delivery of instruction, leadership, and support, and created logistical challenges for administrators serving students with disabilities. Through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews and reflective journaling, coding was conducted to discover themes to better understand special education administrators' experiences. The findings from this study supported Karl Weick's sensemaking framework that portrayed the need for an increase in communication, collaboration, and support for staff and student mental health needs. Understanding the lived experiences of special education administrators during this time will help decision making, should another unprecedented challenge occur. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Counselors' experiences and intervention strategies: A phenomenological study on gender-based violence in the Midwestern states

The dissertation investigated the experiences of six counselors located in the Midwestern region of the USA and how their experiences influence intervention strategies when providing support for GBV (Gender-Based Violence) survivors. The purpose of the study was to explore the counselors' experiences and to see how these affect the strategies that they use. The hermeneutical phenomenological approach was used as a methodology, with six participant counselors who were from agencies and shelters that house gender-based violence survivors. The researcher recruited the participants using convenience sampling and snowballing strategies, and analyzed data from semi-structured interviews, fieldnotes, and document analysis, using the Bronfenbrenner Model as the conceptual framework. The data analysis yielded seven main themes: experience of counselors, interventions for GBV, negative impacts of therapy on counselors, counselors' needs in GBV work, coping strategies for counselors, types of abuse in clients, and the effects of covid on GBV work. Implications for these findings on counselor educators, clinical supervisors and future research within the mental health field are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Exploring the lived experiences of women in sex work in Cucuta, Colombia

In the past five years, Colombia has received an influx of migrants with the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. While Colombia has accepted over one million individuals, many displaced individuals find their situations challenging to provide for themselves and their families;for this reason, many women have turned to sex work as a source of income (Ramsey & Sanchez-Garzoli, 2018). In Colombia, sex work is legal, yet it is unregulated, and much stigma persists, which limits access to formal social services (Doocy et al., 2019). In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought additional challenges to both migrants and women involved in sex work (Kimani et al., 2020). This research examines the lived experiences of Colombian and Venezuelan women in sex work during the Covid-19 pandemic in Cucuta, Colombia.To conduct this study, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with women involved in sex work: 12 Venezuelan and 10 Colombian in Cucuta, Colombia. Interviews were conducted from June to July 2021 in Spanish and were audio-recorded with the consent of each of the women. The women ranged in age from 18-59 years (m=33.1), and all interviews were conducted in the neighborhood of the workplaces of the individuals. Interviews were transcribed and translated to English and input into NVivo for thematic analysis.Chapter Two Findings: The women involved in sex work shared their experiences and the impact of Covid-19 on their work. Venezuelans shared their migration stories and their journeys into sex work and the changes to the industry since the Covid-19 pandemic. The women also shared their reactions to Covid-19 and their plans for 'after' the pandemic.Chapter Three Findings: Covid-19 had an impact on the human rights of the women. Through an observation of the Universal Deceleration Model, themes emerged relating to the working conditions and adequate living standards of the women. The women discussed their hardships with obtaining groceries, paying rent, accessing medical care for themselves and their children, and their working conditions since Covid-19.Chapter Four Findings: Social support for women in sex work and migrants is essential. The majority of the women relied on informal support services such as family members. Limited support is provided amongst the women because of competition and stigmas. For the women who have desired formal social support, limited services were provided. Through the observation of the social services available for the women, a gap persists in the desired and the availability of services.Implications:This research has various implications for social work practice and future search. This research demonstrates the importance of practicing self-determination, empowerment, and dignity and worth of a person when working with women in sex work. Advocacy and community awareness are important to decrease the stigma received by women and to promote the human rights and decriminalization of sex work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A qualitative analysis of lived experiences of community garden participants in local food deserts

Community gardens were designed to bring communities together while providing an area of comfort and solace, social interactions, and a physical place for those living in apartments or areas in which they are not able to garden. Often, community gardens are started by nonprofit organizations looking to solve problems that plague urban areas. An abundance of literature described and analyzed the role of community gardens in addressing food insecurities, but little has been done in understanding the experiences of participants in the garden. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gather and identify the perceptions and thoughts of community garden participants in food deserts, and to recommend additional resources that would be beneficial for these areas. By using a qualitative phenomenological methodological approach, the research question for this study addressed discovering the lived experiences of those participating and volunteering in the community gardens and their impacts in areas such as food deserts. This was completed following the theory of reasoned action, which examined a person's behaviors and intentions to behave a certain way. Participants were interviewed in-depth regarding their experiences working and participating in the gardens. Findings indicated participation provided mental and social health benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and a sense of "community." Results gained from the interviews provide suggestions to community leaders and activists who play a key role in the community for positive change as to how to raise awareness of food insecurity and food deserts to outlining areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 and parents of children with epilepsy: Experiences and positive changes.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to explore the ways that parents with children or adolescents with epilepsy (CAWE) experienced the restrictive measures, as well as the stressors and challenges that they had to face. Methods: We employed an experiential approach and fifteen Greek-speaking parents answered to an in-depth semi-structured interview, during the second lockdown period. Data were analyzed through the Thematic Analysis (TA). Results: The emerging themes were the challenges encountered in terms of medical monitoring, the "stay-home" impact on their everyday lives as a family, their psycho-emotional responses. More specifically, parents identified the irregular doctor appointments and their struggle to access the hospital services as the most important challenges. Moreover, parents reported that the "stay-home" impact has disrupted their children's daily routines among others. Finally, parents highlighted their emotional strain and worries experienced during the lockdown along with the positive changes that occurred.

Urip iku urup (life is lit) by service to others: a qualitative study of frontline healthcare workers' lived experiences providing patient care in Indonesia's COVID-19-designated hospital.

BACKGROUND: While COVID-19 affects every walk of human life, it especially implicates healthcare workers at the forefront of the pandemic due to their vulnerable involvement in providing first-line treatment. This study presents the lived experiences of frontline healthcare workers serving in Indonesia's COVID-19-designated hospital, one of the severely afflicted healthcare settings wherein resource challenges, public health crisis, and political constraints intersect as policy conundrums. METHODS: Using a qualitative exploratory-descriptive approach, this study drew on thirteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews with frontline healthcare workers who have experiences providing first-line COVID-19 patient care in the COVID-19 hospital. The data analysis commenced with the verbatim transcription of the interview data, which was then subjected to a systematic thematic analysis employing hermeneutic phenomenological principles. RESULTS: The exploration of the participants' accounts reveals eight interconnected themes: facing resource scarcity and resignation; experiencing service-induced burnout due to occupational workload; encountering fears of being infected and infecting others; engaging in positivity through social connectedness; having dilemmas over healthcare rationing; developing negative emotions during patient interactions; coping through spirituality and religiosity; and embodying a life of service. CONCLUSION: Managing healthcare in resource-limited, crisis settings presents multifaceted challenges that exceed mere structural modifications, requiring prioritized public health investment to ensure optimal patient care. Therefore, healthcare policy development and implementation should equally emphasize the well-being of frontline healthcare workers to foster sustainable healthcare delivery and achieve improved patient outcomes.

The Lived Experiences of Nurses Caring for Patients With COVID-19 in Arabian Gulf Countries: A Multisite Descriptive Phenomenological Study.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies worldwide have explored nurses' experiences of caring for COVID-19 patients in various healthcare settings. However, these studies were conducted in context, culture, and healthcare systems that differ greatly from the Arabian Gulf context. This descriptive phenomenological study aimed to understand nurses' lived experiences caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Arabian Gulf countries. Individual virtual interviews were conducted with 36 nurses from five countries and were analyzed using Giorgi's methodology. Four main themes were identified: (1) living with doubts, (2) living through the chaos of challenges, (3) moving toward professional resilience, and (4) reaching the maximum level of potential. The findings from this study hopefully will guide health organizations in this region in developing strategies and policies to support and prepare nurses for future outbreaks.

UK healthcare support workers and the COVID-19 pandemic: an explorative analysis of lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support workers are an underrepresented profession that receives less attention with a high degree of responsibilities. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of healthcare support workers within the care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a qualitative semi-structured interview study using an interpretative phenomenology (IP) framework. Fifteen (15) support workers were interviewed while all COVID-19 restrictions from the government were still in place. We identified five main themes: (1) challenging experiences; (2) coping mechanisms; (3) emotions and behaviors arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) external interest on support worker's health; (5) take-home message from the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization selected for the research is a good representative of how care organizations operate within the UK both in terms of policies and staff selection.

A qualitative analysis of lived experiences of community garden participants in local food deserts

Community gardens were designed to bring communities together while providing an area of comfort and solace, social interactions, and a physical place for those living in apartments or areas in which they are not able to garden. Often, community gardens are started by nonprofit organizations looking to solve problems that plague urban areas. An abundance of literature described and analyzed the role of community gardens in addressing food insecurities, but little has been done in understanding the experiences of participants in the garden. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gather and identify the perceptions and thoughts of community garden participants in food deserts, and to recommend additional resources that would be beneficial for these areas. By using a qualitative phenomenological methodological approach, the research question for this study addressed discovering the lived experiences of those participating and volunteering in the community gardens and their impacts in areas such as food deserts. This was completed following the theory of reasoned action, which examined a person's behaviors and intentions to behave a certain way. Participants were interviewed in-depth regarding their experiences working and participating in the gardens. Findings indicated participation provided mental and social health benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and a sense of "community." Results gained from the interviews provide suggestions to community leaders and activists who play a key role in the community for positive change as to how to raise awareness of food insecurity and food deserts to outlining areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Life Under Lockdown: Lived Experiences and Lessons Learnt, Sanjai Bhatt, 2021, Papyrus Scrolls Publication, ISBN: 9788195385102, INR 999, Ebook: $14.99

This article is dedicated to doing a detailed review of the aforementioned book entitled Life Under Lockdown: Lived Experiences and Lessons Learnt by Professor Sanjai Bhatt, Department of Social Work, University of Delhi,3, University Road, Delhi 110007, India;Immediate Past President, National Association of Professional Social Workers in India;Immediate Past President (South Asia), International Council on Social Welfare, Alliance Ambassador, GSSWA © 2022 Bhattacharyya. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Loneliness as experienced by adolescents and young adults: an explorative qualitative study

Mental health problems among adolescents and young adults are increasing worldwide together with loneliness, which is considered a global public health problem. The aim of this study was to explore loneliness through adolescents' and young adults' own descriptions and experiences. The research questions were: (1) How do adolescents and young adults describe and experience loneliness?, (2) What types of loneliness do adolescents and young adults describe? Data were collected through interviews with fifteen Swedish-speaking Finns aged 17–30. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Loneliness was linked to earlier negative experiences, mental illness or physical disorders, self-centred society, social norms and social media. Three different types of loneliness were identified: social loneliness, emotional loneliness and existential loneliness. It is important that adults and professionals are able to identify, interpret and understand signs that adolescents and young adults are experiencing negative feelings, which may indicate underlying loneliness. [ FROM AUTHOR]