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Working During Covid-19 Lockdowns: Qualitative Study of the Psychological Adaptation of Nurses and Teleworkers During Pandemic Phases I and III

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Computer Supported Qualitative Research (WCQR 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 466))

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Abstract

Previous studies have shown the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, associating it with anxiety, depression, and feelings of fear. Fewer studies have addressed the subjective experience and psychological processes throughout different pandemic phases. In order to analyze the subjective experiences and psychological adjustment of teleworkers and nurses regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic during phases I–III lockdowns during two states of emergency, online semi-structured interviews with twenty Portuguese nurses and teleworkers were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the IPA methodology and Lexical Analysis with Alceste®. Classes clustered in Lexical analysis attested the validity of the IPA’s consensual themes. The two groups were info-whelmed, stressed, overworked, and anxious. They feared contagious uncertainty and financial constraints, struggling with work-life balance. Both complied rapidly with the restraints imposed, electing adaptive coping and emotional regulation strategies. The nurses’ group, faced with defiant working conditions, expressed higher burnout risk. In the III pandemic phase lockdown, participants reported less anxiety, but more stress, frustration, adapting self-regulation strategies over time. Throughout the pandemic, teleworkers and nurses identified personal experiences, feelings, and the impact related to the Covid-19 pandemic, adopting active cognitive, behavioral, and emotional self-regulation strategies focusing on their wellbeing. Over time, the negative effects may wear out personal resources, increase vulnerability and trigger the onset of psychological symptoms. We synthetize the subjective experiences regarding the psychological impact and adaptation processes through phases I–III, which may be useful to design psychological prevention and intervention programs to promote psychological adjustment in different organizations.

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Acknowledgment

The English translation of this work was funded by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - as part the CIP/UAlg project - Refª UIDB/04345/2020. Text review by Carolina Peralta.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Research Centre (CIP), Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa/Universidade do Algarve, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mónica Taveira Pires

  2. Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Raquel João, Maria Santos & Carlos Fonseca

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  1. Mónica Taveira Pires
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  2. Raquel João
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  3. Maria Santos
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  4. Carlos Fonseca
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Correspondence to Mónica Taveira Pires .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    António Pedro Costa

  2. Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    António Moreira

  3. Department Didactics, Organization and Research Methods, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    Maria Cruz Sánchez‑Gómez

  4. Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

    Safary Wa-Mbaleka

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Pires, M.T., João, R., Santos, M., Fonseca, C. (2022). Working During Covid-19 Lockdowns: Qualitative Study of the Psychological Adaptation of Nurses and Teleworkers During Pandemic Phases I and III. In: Costa, A.P., Moreira, A., Sánchez‑Gómez, M.C., Wa-Mbaleka, S. (eds) Computer Supported Qualitative Research. WCQR 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 466. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04680-3_7

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