Emergency Physician Fathers’ Experiences With the COVID-19 Pandemic, A Qualitative Analysis of Free Text Responses

ABSTRACT

Study Objectives: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected frontline health care workers significantly at work and at home, with recent studies suggesting the pandemic negatively affecting physicians in both spheres. Only a few studies have examined the attitudes and conflicts faced by physician fathers, the majority of current practitioners. This work is a subset analysis of responses to qualitative questions on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of emergency physician (EP) fathers. Methods: A convenience sample of physician fathers was obtained from May 2 to June 16, 2020, via social media and email. The survey contained questions on personal and professional struggles during the start of the pandemic and including several free test questions. Free responses were analyzed and coded. Several themes emerged related to experiences described (1) self;(2) social;(3) home life;(4) work life;(5) financial;(6) immediate family. Under each main theme were subthemes that provided a more detailed match for each comment. Results: There were 260 surveys completed by EP fathers from 31 states. 84% were White, 9% Asian, 1% Black, 5% other. 78% were between 30-49 years;98% reported having a partner. Most fathers had younger children (infants through middle-school aged) living in the household with them at the time of the survey. The three most common themes were “work life” (38%), “immediate family” (20%), and “social” (15%). In “work life” the most common subthemes were “general change in responsibilities” (29%), “decrease in workload/unemployed” (21%), and “concerns/negative feelings towards work” (18%). In “immediate family” both “positive change in family life” (45%) and “negative change in family life” (19%) predominated. Under “social,” “missing/lacking social interaction” (49%) and “missed/cancelled events” (33%) were most common. Of note in other themes in “self,” the two most common subthemes were “negative mental state” (45%) and “decreased productivity” (12%). In “home life,” “change in usual routine/structure/schedule” was the most common (42%) followed by “difficulty caring/assisting children” (28%). The “financial” theme was dominated by the subtheme “financial issues/loss” (94%). Conclusions: This study examined reported concerns and attitudes of EP fathers during the COVID-19 pandemic. EP fathers reported a variety challenges affecting both their personal and professional lives with positive and negative changes. Further research is needed to better understand how to support EP fathers during future pandemics.