Moments, spaces and temporalities in the virtual interview: reflections from the study of social policies

The aim of this paper is to revisit some aspects of the virtual interview on the Facebook platform, carried out within the framework of two research projects that investigate social programs recipients who organize and manage soup kitchens and picnic areas, in the pandemic context by COVID-19 during 2020 and 2021. This work is based on the review and reflection of the field notes that accompanied the virtual interviews. The systematization of the virtual interview experience makes it possible to delineate that the "opening moment" of the interview involves negotiations around the rhythm of the conversation and the platform for conducting it, while distrust emerges from the interviewees. In the "meantime", the intermittence of communication and its development in different temporalities is observed. "The closure" can occur in an agreed or untimely manner due to the fatigue or mistrust of the interviewed. It is concluded that the different forms of digitalization of life imply observing the locations where interactions take shape, regardless of whether they are physical or virtual media.

How to Overcome the Secretiveness of a Group: Opportunities of Online Interviews

In a pandemic, qualitative methodologies and in-person interviews, the key to understanding the experiences lived by participants in social phenomena, proved to be ill-suited. As a result of the restrictions imposed during this period, the challenge was even more considerable in the research of groups and practices marked by secretiveness and self-closing, in that our presence in the field, always marked by hurdles, was impracticable. In this text, we propose a reflection on the experience of conducting online interviews with university students (Porto, Portugal) involved in praxe (hazing), a complex and multidimensional social phenomenon that profoundly shapes academic life in Portuguese universities. We will discuss the differences between holding in-person interviews before the pandemic and online interviews during the lockdown. We draw attention to practical, methodological, and ethical considerations in adapting research to an online context and conclude that, despite the challenges, online interviews opened up surprising opportunities for collecting these students' experiences. © The Author(s) 2023.

Conducting qualitative interviews via VoIP technologies: reflections on rapport, technology, digital exclusion, and ethics

Qualitative research has been strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the possibilities that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom offer to qualitative scholars. Based on the experience of using such technologies to collect qualitative data for our PhD studies, we present how we dealt with the challenges of this interview mode. Precisely, we discuss problems related to rapport, technology, digital exclusion, and ethics frequently pointed out in the methodological literature on online interviews. Thereby we put forward strategies and techniques that helped us to 1) build a rapport, 2) manage technical difficulties, 3) reflect on risks of digital exclusion, and 4) comply with the ethical standards of our institution. In doing so, we draw on our qualitative data to support the arguments. The aim of this paper is, thus, to deepen the methodological debate on online interviews in social sciences. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

To negotiate or not negotiate: professional boundaries surrounding mobile device usage

ABSTRACTWith the widespread ownership and usage of mobile devices combined with the subsequent challenges usage poses on relationships, this research examines how people negotiate time spent on mobile devices (smartphones and/or tablets) accomplishing professional tasks. Participants in this study were the users of the mobile device within a full-time managerial level position. Diverse organizational representation included, but not limited to health care, engineering, public relations, finance, education, and distribution management industries. Using qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews, data analysis unveiled what negotiation means when using mobile devices in any capacity for professional reasons within the domestic (familial) sphere. Management-level organizational members share how parameters (sometimes called boundaries or borders) are both in and out of their control when using mobile devices to communicate professionally. Within their control was the users' ability to engage or disengage, while also challenged with situations out of their control due to organizational directives. This research re-conceptualizes the concepts of Clark's (2000) Work/Family Border Theory. While this data was gathered prior to Covid19, understanding this balance has current and future relevancy from an academic and applied perspective.

Drawing a pandemic vulnerabilities' map: The SoNAR-global Vulnerabilities Assessment digital and its output.

This paper describes the process, advantages and limitations of a qualitative methodology for defining and analyzing vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implemented in Italy in two sites (Rome and outside Rome, in some small-medium sized municipalities in Latium) in 2021, this investigation employed a mixed digital research tool that was also used simultaneously in four other European countries. Its digital nature encompasses both processes of data collection. Among the most salient is that the pandemic catalyzed new vulnerabilities in addition to exacerbating old ones, particularly economic. Many of the vulnerabilities detected, in fact, are linked to previous situations, such as the uncertainties of labor markets, having in COVID-19 to the greatest negative effects on the most precarious workers (non-regular, part-time, and seasonal). The consequences of the pandemic are also reflected in other forms of vulnerability that appear less obvious, having exacerbated social isolation, not only out of fear of contagion, but because of the psychological challenges posed by containment measures themselves. These measures created not mere discomfort, but behavioral changes characterized by anxiety, fearfulness, and disorientation. More generally, this investigation reveals the strong influence of social determinants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, creating new forms of vulnerability, as the effects of social, economic, and biological risk factors were compounded, in particular, among already marginalized populations.

Using Creative Approaches and Facilitating Remote Online Focus Groups With Children and Young People: Reflections, Recommendations and Practical Guidance

The importance of engaging and involving children and young people (CYP) in research is widely recognised, especially for educational research exploring CYP's perceptions and experiences of school processes. Historically, working with CYP to collect qualitative data has involved face-to-face interactions, however the social distancing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was a need to move ‘online' and work ‘remotely'. In this paper we share our experiences of undertaking remote online synchronous focus groups with CYP and discuss how we overcame the challenges associated with conducting qualitative research with CYP ‘from a distance'. We used remote online synchronous focus groups to explore CYP's perspectives on how education settings can support social, emotional, and mental wellbeing. We reflect on approaches used to uphold rigour and quality, and work ethically and sensitively. We have organised this into five topics reflecting distinct parts of the planning, design and practice: 1) working with CYP as research advisors to shape the design, feasibility and suitability of the methods and approach;2) developing creative approaches within the online focus groups to increase engagement and inclusion;3) considering logistical and technical practice;4) considering ethical practice underpinning online group data collection with CYP;and 5) valuing participation and disseminate findings when working from a distance with participants. We present reflections and guidance for other researchers considering the use of remote online synchronous focus groups with CYP, as a feasible and valuable means for collecting data in both a time- and cost-effective manner.

Using WhatsApp Focus Group Discussions to Collect Qualitative Data Collection During a Pandemic: Exploring Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of COVID-19 in Singapore.

This qualitative study aimed to explore Singapore residents' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors around COVID-19 as shaped by different information sources. Through utilizing WhatsApp as a means of conducting digital focus group discussions (FGDs), participants were involved in five consecutive days of discussions through both synchronous and asynchronous means. We found that the use of WhatsApp as a means of conducting FGDs not only served as a means of generating essential, time-sensitive data in the community, but also advanced the quality and quantity of data generated, democratized, and enhanced the participatory nature of FGDs, and facilitated the communication of potential issues around data privacy between facilitators and participants. Although challenges around privacy and confidentiality remain, this means of collecting data is novel in terms of providing timely and relevant data during a pandemic and would be appropriate to be further utilized in the context of other health-related research beyond a public health emergency.

Being physically active with epilepsy: Insights from young people and their parents.

INTRODUCTION: Researchers have called for innovative tailored interventions to address specific challenges to physical activity (PA) engagement for young people with epilepsy (YPE). Working with YPE and their parents, this study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to adoption and maintenance of PA among YPE prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Ten YPE (all female) and their 13 caregivers, and five additional caregivers to males (N = 18; 72% mothers), completed virtual focus group sessions prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trained Child Life specialists asked questions about barriers and facilitators of PA engagement experienced by YWE, which included a specific focus on the impact of epilepsy. RESULTS: Thematic analysis of the data identified both epilepsy-specific and generic themes that impact PA participation among YPE. These included: (i) epilepsy experience/impact and accommodation; (ii) safety precautions; (iii) concern about seizures; (iv) social connections and acceptance; (v) parent and family support; (vi) intrapersonal self-regulation and motivation; (vii) health benefits; and (viii) key factors in common with all youth. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insight into diverse social-ecological health factors that impact PA participation among YPE from two key stakeholder perspectives (YPE and their caregivers). By understanding these lived experiences, providers can better tailor individual support for YPE and their families to foster and maintain a healthy active lifestyle.

Socio-Structural Factors and HIV Care Engagement among People Living with HIV during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the United States.

Achieving HIV prevention goals will require successful engagement in each stage of the HIV continuum. The present study sought to understand the ways in which socio-structural factors influence HIV care engagement among people living with HIV (PLH) within the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-five PLH were recruited from January to October 2021. Semi-structured interviews discussed various socio-contextual factors that influenced engagement in HIV-related care as a result of the pandemic. A thematic content analysis reported semantic level themes describing factors influencing HIV care following an integrated inductive-deductive approach. Qualitative analysis revealed three themes that either supported or hindered engagement in care within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) social determinants of health, (2) social support, and (3) modes of healthcare delivery. The results underscore the need to assess socio-structural factors of health as means to promote successful engagement in the HIV care continuum and shed new insights to guide future practice in the era of COVID-19.

Exploring the Impact of The NEST Collaborative's Remote Social Intervention on Feelings of Depression and Isolation.

Early evidence of remote, volunteer-led social support interventions to reduce social isolation in older adults has been encouraging; however, evaluation data on outcomes related to social isolation associated from these interventions is scarce. Here, we share programmatic details of a novel, statewide initiative, called the NEST Collaborative, rolled out to meet immediate emotional, informational, and instrumental needs of older adults in Nevada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation included 31 older adults participating in weekly one-to-one empathy-based phone calls with multi-generational volunteers seeking to enhance participants' social networks through meaningful friendships. The calls were associated with programmatically meaningful, though not statistically significant, improvements in modified Hawthorne Friendship Scale and PHQ-2 Depression Scale scores over two waves of survey responses. These results suggest that social isolation and depression among older adults decreased among our sample over a period of increased isolation and mental health burden across the general population. With the potential for sustained impact in reducing social isolation over time, remote social support programs, such as the NEST Collaborative, may have persistent value long-term, beyond time-limited crisis response contexts.

From Challenge to Opportunity: Virtual Qualitative Research During COVID-19 and Beyond.

COVID-19 has required researchers to adapt methodologies for remote data collection. While virtual interviewing has traditionally received limited attention in the qualitative literature, recent adaptations to the pandemic have prompted increased discussion and adoption. Yet, current discussion has focussed on practical and ethical concerns and retained a tone of compromise, of coping in a crisis. This paper extends the nascent conversations begun prior to the pandemic to consider the wider methodological implications of video-call interviews. Beyond the short-term, practical challenges of the pandemic, these adaptations demonstrate scope for longer-term, beneficial digitalisation of both traditional and emergent interview methods. Updating traditional interview methods digitally has demonstrated how conversion to video interviewing proves beneficial in its own right. Virtual focus-group-based research during COVID-19, for example, accessed marginalised populations and elicited notable rapport and rich data, uniting people in synchronous conversation across many environments. Moreover, emergent interview methods such as the Grid Elaboration Method (a specialised free-associative method) demonstrated further digitalised enhancements, including effective online recruitment with flexible scheduling, virtual interactions with significant rapport, and valuable recording and transcription functions. This paper looks beyond the pandemic to future research contexts where such forms of virtual interviewing may confer unique advantages: supporting researcher and participant populations with mobility challenges; enhancing international research where researcher presence or travel may be problematic. When opportunities for traditional face-to-face methods return, the opportunity for virtual innovation should not be overlooked.

The Interaction and Life Experiences between the Patient and the Nurse Caring for the Patient with COVID-19 in Turkey: A Qualitative Dyadic Approach

Previous research and observations have shown that COVID-19 affected both patients??? and nurses??? mental health. Even in the best times, one of the best ways to improve patients??? experiences is to improve the health workers??? experience. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the patterns of interaction between patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and the nurses caring for them and to help them recognize the strengths of their relationship. In this study, we aimed that purposed to discover the interaction and life experiences between the COVID-19 patients and the nurses who provided care for them in Turkey. With the dyadic approach, a qualitatively descriptive design has been used. The research examples consisted of 12 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 selected by purposeful exemplification and 12 nurses who provided care to them. Semi-structured individual in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals. The study adheres to the COREQ guidelines. As a result of the content analysis, four should focus on appropriate psychological interventions in order to fortify the relations and mental health of dyad members. Institutions should focus on appropriate psychological interventions in order to fortify the relations and mental health of dyad members. In our research, it is expected to guide related public institutions and non-governmental organizations on formulating policies related to protecting and maintaining the mental health of nurses and patients, extending the scope of existing information, providing patient-health worker security, to assess the problems on the field through the eyes of patients-health workers and to take necessary precautions. This study, which deals with the interaction and life experiences of patients with COVID-19 and nurses who care for them, will shed light on patients, families, communities, organizations, health policies and systems.

"It changed the atmosphere surrounding the baby I did have": Making sense of reproduction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study examines the schemas that women employed during the COVID-19 pandemic to make sense of their reproductive desires. Background: Existing research on reproduction during epidemics suggests that there are variable population responses to periods of long-term social uncertainty. However, less is known about how individuals make sense of maintaining or adapting their reproductive desires during periods of social upheaval. Method: Twenty-nine women aged 25-35 from a mid-sized Midwestern county in the United States were recruited and interviewed about their experiences during the first 8 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were asked about their daily lived experiences and their reproductive desires during in-depth interviews. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic coding. Results: Participants used three normative schemas to describe their reproductive desires during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heteronormative schemas were used by many participants to articulate their commitment to a heteronormative aged-staged timeline of life events. Schemas of social support around being pregnant and giving birth were used by participants, primarily those who were currently or recently pregnant, to express grief and loss over the relational experience of having a new baby. Medicalized schemas were expressed by most participants to describe feelings of fear and risk at real or imagined encounters with medical institutions. Conclusion: The schemas that participants used to make sense of their reproductive desires demonstrate how sense-making during a profound event that affects everyday realities allows participants to (re)articulate commitments to existing narratives that reinforce heterosexual, social, and medicalized hierarchies in reproduction.

Mothering in a Pandemic: Navigating Care Work, Intensive Motherhood, and COVID-19.

Even before COVID-19, women around the world performed more unpaid domestic labor, specifically unpaid care labor, than men. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the gender gap in this domestic labor. For Western women, especially mothers in the United States of America, the normative discourse of intensive motherhood and the gendered pressure inherent in the unrealistic standards set by the discourse have only increased the amount of unpaid domestic and care labor required of mothers. Using qualitative, in-depth interviews with 18 mothers during May-June 2020, this study examines privileged mothers' perceptions of what they did well in parenting both before and during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mothers' pragmatic adaptations during the pandemic posed challenges to the norms of intensive motherhood, as did emergent ideas about integrative mothering articulated before the pandemic's onset. We find that while COVID-19 has increased expectations on mothers, it has also provided a turning point wherein expectations can be changed, as the participants suggested. Implications for intensive motherhood scholars, mothers, and communication researchers are discussed, along with future research.

Recruitment Strategies to Optimize Participation by Diverse Populations.

The authors describe the methodological strategies used to effectively recruit a diverse sample of nurses in a qualitative study. Adequate representation of diverse populations is necessary to advance science and health equity. A multimodal research approach (research team composition, flyers, social media, and purposive sampling) was used. When undertaking research with underrepresented groups, recruitment efforts should begin in the early phases of study planning with research team development that can assist in employing multiple recruitment strategies accordingly.

Psychological impact of covid-19 crises on students through the lens of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model.

The present outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected 28,584,158 people world-wide as of 13th September 2020 (WHO, 2020b). This crisis has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. Due to the unavailability of the evidence based medical treatment, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are the best options at the present moment. Lockdown was one of such measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 disease. Due to lockdown measures, many countries across the globe followed the complete closure of shopping malls, transport networks, schools, universities, etc. This study aims to investigate the behavioural psychological changes among university students due to covid-19 crises and lockdown. Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model has been adopted to develop a theoretical foundation for the research. Qualitative research methodology including a combination of personal interviews and focus groups has been adopted in the study to develop the themes with the help of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, Atlas.ti 7. It has been found that students are suffering from academic anxiety, fear, Mysophobia, etc. As far as behavioural responses are concerned following behavioural changes have been found; Panic buying, e-learning, community support, support for prime-minister, etc.