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Stories of Life during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: A Qualitative Study

Author

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  • Silvia Caterina Maria Tomaino

    (Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy)

  • Sabrina Cipolletta

    (Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy)

  • Zlatina Kostova

    (Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA)

  • Irina Todorova

    (Department of Applied Psychology, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on people the need to find meaning in many unprecedented ways. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how the general Italian population dealt with government restrictions and to understand personal experiences connected with the first wave of the pandemic in light of the personal construct theory (PCT) framework. One hundred and sixteen people (over 18 years old) completed an online survey between May and June 2020. Two independent researchers ran inductive thematic content analysis on data using a specifically developed international codebook. Five major themes were identified in the participants’ narrations: difficulties, emotions, coping with lockdown measures, going back to normal, and change. The results, interpreted within the PCT transitions, showed that the pandemic represented a threat to participants’ life plans, beliefs, and certainties. Some coped with it mainly by waiting for the pandemic to end and remaining firm in their beliefs and certainties, whereas others coped by trying to find alternative ways of giving sense to this experience and reconstructing personal meanings, claiming a change in their life and in society. Differentiating personal experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic is fundamental for designing personalised strategies to promote well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Caterina Maria Tomaino & Sabrina Cipolletta & Zlatina Kostova & Irina Todorova, 2021. "Stories of Life during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-14, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:14:p:7630-:d:596448
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    Cited by:

    1. Virginia Romano & Mirko Ancillotti & Deborah Mascalzoni & Roberta Biasiotto, 2022. "Italians locked down: people’s responses to early COVID-19 pandemic public health measures," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Silvia Vicentini & Arianna Mercurio & Carolina Romascu & Martina Battaglia & Noemi Tribbia & Francesca Siviero & Antonello Grossi & Maria Maddalena Martucci & Diego De Leo, 2022. "Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-11, January.
    3. Diego De Leo & Maria Maddalena Martucci & Antonello Grossi & Francesca Siviero & Silvia Vicentini & Carolina Romascu & Arianna Mercurio & Martina Battaglia & Noemi Tribbia, 2021. "Caring for Caregivers: Italian Health Care Workers’ Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-13, October.
    4. Sabrina Cipolletta & Sara Previdi & Simona Martucci, 2023. "The Healthcare Relationship during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Emergency Department of an Italian Hospital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Maja Socan & Vanja Ida Erčulj, 2022. "Confronting SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Patients’ Experience in the First Pandemic Wave—Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-11, October.

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