Explorer l’expérience subjective du confinement lié à l’épidémie de la Covid-19 par les familles : une analyse interprétative et phénoménologique (IPA) du discours de parents

Introduction

The COVID-19 containment measures had many effects on parents and children (stress, concerns), and the functioning of the whole family has been disrupted (lifestyle, habits, relationships).

Objective

The objective of this work is to highlight the idiosyncratic nature of the experience of confinement, its psychological consequences, and the changes it has induced within families.

Method

Interested in the experiences of parents who had been confined within their families, we conducted interviews with parents and analyzed their discourse using the IPA method. We interviewed five parents (38–44 years old) with at least two children each (3–13 years old). Three of the interviewees were women.

Results

We have identified seven major axes that illustrate the confinement experience of these families: accompanied by extracts from participants’ interviews (verbatims). The subjects lived this experience in confinement as a unique opportunity to spend time with their family and recalibrate what matters to them fundamentally in life.

Conclusion

The experience of confinement has brought changes in the daily lives of these parents as well as in their way of understanding their existence. A form of positive revaluation emanates from their discourse.