DEFACTUM - Public Health Research, Central Denmark Region, Olof Palmes Allé 15, Aarhus N, DK-8200, Denmark.
J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2023 Jul 5;7(1):62. doi: 10.1186/s41687-023-00607-6.
With its health risks and extensive disruption to everyday life, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the lives of billions of people. People with chronic conditions are particularly susceptible to severe illness if infected by COVID-19, and they have repeatedly been urged to take stringent steps to 'shield' themselves from the virus. It is argued that the negative impact of isolation and other lockdown-related restrictions on emotional well-being and daily life may be most prominent among people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. This qualitative thematic analysis aimed to explore how individuals with chronic conditions perceived the risk posed by COVID-19 and to understand how being at high risk affected their emotional well-being and everyday life.
The study is a thematic analysis of qualitative data consisting of semi-structured interviews with adults affected by at least one chronic condition supplemented with free text comments from a PRO-based survey.
Based on 17 semi-structured interviews and 144 free text comments from a PRO-based survey three thematic patterns representing diverse COVID-19-related risk experiences were extracted: (1) Feeling vulnerable and at risk, (2) Uncertainty about being at risk, and (3) Distancing from the high-risk label.
The risk of COVID-19 impacted the participants' everyday lives and emotional well-being in various ways. Some participants felt vulnerable and at risk causing them and their families to take on far-reaching precautions with significant consequences for their everyday life and emotional well-being. Some participants expressed uncertainty associated with whether they were at increased risk. Such uncertainty gave rise to dilemmas about how to navigate their everyday life. Other participants did not identify themselves as at higher risk and took no special precautions. Such a lack of perceived risk may undermine their motivation for taking preventive measures, which calls for public attention regarding current or future pandemics.
SARS-CoV-2（COVID-19）大流行给数十亿人的生活带来了健康风险和日常生活的广泛中断。患有慢性病的人如果感染 COVID-19，特别容易患上重病，他们一再被敦促采取严格措施“保护”自己免受病毒侵害。有人认为，隔离和其他与封锁相关的限制对情绪健康和日常生活的负面影响，在 COVID-19 重病风险增加的人群中可能最为突出。这项定性主题分析旨在探讨患有慢性病的人如何看待 COVID-19 带来的风险，以及了解处于 COVID-19 重病高风险如何影响他们的情绪健康和日常生活。
该研究是对定性数据的主题分析，包括对至少患有一种慢性病的成年人进行半结构化访谈，并辅以基于 PRO 的调查的自由文本评论。
基于 17 次半结构化访谈和基于 PRO 的调查的 144 条自由文本评论，提取了三个代表不同 COVID-19 相关风险体验的主题模式：（1）感到脆弱和有风险，（2）对风险的不确定性，以及（3）与高风险标签保持距离。
COVID-19 的风险以各种方式影响了参与者的日常生活和情绪健康。一些参与者感到脆弱和有风险，这导致他们及其家人采取了广泛的预防措施，对他们的日常生活和情绪健康产生了重大影响。一些参与者表示对自己是否处于高风险存在不确定性。这种不确定性导致了如何在日常生活中航行的两难境地。其他参与者不认为自己处于更高的风险，也没有采取特殊预防措施。这种缺乏感知风险可能会削弱他们采取预防措施的动机，这就需要引起公众对当前或未来大流行的关注。
