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. 2022 Dec 1:4:e041.
doi: 10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000041. eCollection 2022.

Reflections, resilience and recovery: a qualitative study of Covid-19's impact on an international adult population's mental health and priorities for support

Keri Ka-Yee Wong  1 , Kimberly Loke  1 , Kyleigh Marie Kai-Li Melville  1   2
Affiliations

Reflections, resilience and recovery: a qualitative study of Covid-19's impact on an international adult population's mental health and priorities for support

Keri Ka-Yee Wong et al. UCL Open Environ. .

Abstract

The impact of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic on different countries and populations is well documented in quantitative studies, with some studies showing stable mental health symptoms and others showing fluctuating symptoms. However, the reasons behind why some symptoms are stable and others change are under-explored, which in turn makes identifying the types of support needed by participants themselves challenging. To address these gaps, this study thematically analysed 925 qualitative responses from five open-ended responses collected in the UCL-Penn Global COVID Study between 17 April and 31 July 2021 (Wave 3). Three key themes that comprised 13 codes were reported by participants across countries and ages regarding the impact of Covid-19 on their health, both mental and physical, and livelihoods. These include: (1) Outlook on self/life, (2) Self-improvement, and (3) Loved ones (friends and family). In terms of support, while 2.91% did not require additional support, 91% wanted support beyond financial support. Other unexpected new themes were also discussed regarding vulnerable populations suffering disproportionately. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus various changes in people's mental health, physical health and relationships. Greater policy considerations should be given to supporting citizens' continued access to mental health when considering pandemic recovery.

Keywords: Covid-19; behavioural change; financial burden; mental health; qualitative; support.

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Conflict of interest statement

Research ethics statementThis study was approved by IOE Research Ethics Committee (REC 1331) on 8 April 2020 with The Data Protection number for this project approved on 9 April 2020 is Z6364106/2020/04/42.Consent for publication statementThe authors declare that research participants’ informed consent to publication of findings – including photos, videos and any personal or identifiable information – was secured prior to publication.Conflicts of interest statementThe authors declare no conflict of interest with this work.The authors declare no conflict of interest with this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Visual summary showing the relationship between the 13 codes and the extent of overlapping themes across the data set. The size of the circles is relative to their prevalence rates in the dataset, whereby a larger circle represents higher prevalence (e.g., the relative size of the circles was made by setting the length and width of the circles equivalent to their prevalence rate).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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