Psychological experience of home-quarantined older women with COVID-19 in Hong Kong: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The surge of positive COVID-19 cases taxed the local health care system and left many older adults initiating home self-care practices. The study aimed to explore the psychological experiences of home-quarantined older women diagnosed with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. METHODS: Ten semi-structured telephone interviews were held among older women from March to April 2022. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Older women experienced psychological distress, anxiety and depression after being infected with COVID-19. The source of their psychological difficulties included fear of losing control over one's health and dignity, feeling a burden to one's family, conflict in balancing risks and responsibilities, and being overwhelmed by the tragic news reported in media. Meanwhile, the participants demonstrated resilience following the infection and found meaning in their experiences, and grew mentally. CONCLUSIONS: The older women in this study have identified the negative impact having a diagnosis and being home-quarantine means to them and their family. Yet, they were also able to take some positives from this. Importantly, the older women report being able to build greater resilience, optimism and wisdom towards COVID-19 in general and feel better prepared for the potential of future positive diagnoses.

Understanding online grooming: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of adolescents' offline meetings with adult perpetrators.

BACKGROUND: It is the norm for adolescents to form friendships online but connecting with strangers poses risks of online grooming. Adult perpetrators take advantage of the internet's anonymity and accessibility to befriend and groom young people for sexual abuse. Much of the existing research has focused on the offender's perspective and grooming tactics, while extensive studies on victim profiles have focused on risk factors and young people's vulnerabilities to online grooming. OBJECTIVE: This research takes an in-depth look into grooming processes from the perspective of the adolescent victim and explores how the relationships progressed online-to-offline, resulting in sexual abuse. It aims to understand young people's motivations and mindsets by exploring their lived experiences of offline meeting with adult perpetrators. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consisted of adolescents aged 14-21 in the UK and EU. METHODS: Using data from the Risk-taking Online Behavior Empowerment through Research and Training Project, six interviews were examined using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: 1) Varied interpretations of risk 2) Taking control 3) Seeking security and validation; and 4) Shifts in perspective. The subtleties of online grooming were masked by the adolescents' misplaced trust as they displayed agency in pursuing opportunities for online friendships or sexual activities. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest an insufficient knowledge of grooming and the need to more clearly define risks among adolescents. Safety guidelines should highlight the subtleties of grooming tactics and harmful behaviours that may not be readily perceived as abuse.