Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
South Carolina SmartState Center of Healthcare Quality, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 26;19(15):9076. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159076.
Persistent COVID-19 symptoms (long COVID) may bring challenges to long haulers' social lives. Females may endure more profound impacts given their special social roles and existing structural inequality. This study explores the effects of long COVID on the social life of female long haulers. We conducted semi-structured interviews via Zoom between April and June 2021 with 15 female long haulers in the United States, purposely recruited from Facebook and Slack groups and organization websites related to long COVID. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim with consent. The interview data were managed using MAXQDA and examined by thematic analysis. Long COVID negatively affected female long haulers' social lives by causing physical limitations, economic issues, altered social relationships, social roles' conflicts, and social stigma. Long COVID prevented female long haulers' recovery process. Physical limitations altered their perceptions on body, and family-work conflicts caused tremendous stress. They also experienced internalized stigma and job insecurities. This study provides insights into challenges that COVID-19 female long haulers could face in their return to normal social life, underscoring the vulnerability of females affected by long COVID due to significant alterations in their social lives. Shifting to new methods of communication, especially social media, diminished the adverse effects of long COVID (e.g., social isolation).
持续的 COVID-19 症状（长新冠）可能给长途跋涉者的社交生活带来挑战。鉴于女性的特殊社会角色和现有的结构性不平等，她们可能会承受更深远的影响。本研究探讨了长新冠对女性长途跋涉者社交生活的影响。我们于 2021 年 4 月至 6 月期间通过 Zoom 对美国的 15 名女性长途跋涉者进行了半结构化访谈，这些受访者是从与长新冠相关的 Facebook 和 Slack 群组以及组织网站中特意招募的。征得同意后，对访谈进行了录音并逐字转录。使用 MAXQDA 对访谈数据进行管理，并通过主题分析进行检查。长新冠通过导致身体限制、经济问题、改变社会关系、社会角色冲突和社会污名，对女性长途跋涉者的社交生活产生了负面影响。长新冠阻碍了女性长途跋涉者的康复过程。身体限制改变了她们对身体的看法，家庭工作冲突造成了巨大的压力。她们还经历了内化的污名和工作不安全感。本研究深入了解了 COVID-19 女性长途跋涉者在恢复正常社交生活中可能面临的挑战，突显了因社交生活发生重大改变而受到长新冠影响的女性的脆弱性。转向新的沟通方式，尤其是社交媒体，减轻了长新冠的不良影响（例如，社交隔离）。
