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Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated physical distancing which is expected to continue in some form for the foreseeable future. Physical distancing policies have increased reliance on digital forms of social connection and there are widespread concerns about social isolation and mental health in t...

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Autores principales: McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E., Graham-Wisener, Lisa, Berry, Emma, Groarke, Jenny M.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8513854/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34644328
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258344
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author McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E.
Graham-Wisener, Lisa
Berry, Emma
Groarke, Jenny M.
author_facet McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E.
Graham-Wisener, Lisa
Berry, Emma
Groarke, Jenny M.
author_sort McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E.
collection PubMed
description The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated physical distancing which is expected to continue in some form for the foreseeable future. Physical distancing policies have increased reliance on digital forms of social connection and there are widespread concerns about social isolation and mental health in this context. This qualitative study sought to understand how loneliness was experienced during physical distancing in the initial national UK COVID-19 lockdown. Eight individuals who reported feeling lonely during the initial lockdown were interviewed in May 2020. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified: (1) Loss of in-person interaction causing loneliness, (2) Constrained freedom, (3) Challenging emotions, and (4) Coping with loneliness. The loss of in-person interaction contributed to feelings of loneliness and digital interaction was viewed as an insufficient alternative. Social freedom could be constrained by distancing policies and by social contacts, contributing to strained personal relationships and feelings of frustration as part of loneliness. Fluctuations in mood and difficult emotions were experienced alongside loneliness, and distraction and seeking reconnection were commonly reported methods of coping, although they were less accessible. These findings indicate that physical distancing measures can impact loneliness due to the limitations they impose on in-person social contact and the perceived insufficiency of digital contact as a substitute.
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spelling pubmed-85138542021-10-14 Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E. Graham-Wisener, Lisa Berry, Emma Groarke, Jenny M. PLoS One Research Article The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated physical distancing which is expected to continue in some form for the foreseeable future. Physical distancing policies have increased reliance on digital forms of social connection and there are widespread concerns about social isolation and mental health in this context. This qualitative study sought to understand how loneliness was experienced during physical distancing in the initial national UK COVID-19 lockdown. Eight individuals who reported feeling lonely during the initial lockdown were interviewed in May 2020. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified: (1) Loss of in-person interaction causing loneliness, (2) Constrained freedom, (3) Challenging emotions, and (4) Coping with loneliness. The loss of in-person interaction contributed to feelings of loneliness and digital interaction was viewed as an insufficient alternative. Social freedom could be constrained by distancing policies and by social contacts, contributing to strained personal relationships and feelings of frustration as part of loneliness. Fluctuations in mood and difficult emotions were experienced alongside loneliness, and distraction and seeking reconnection were commonly reported methods of coping, although they were less accessible. These findings indicate that physical distancing measures can impact loneliness due to the limitations they impose on in-person social contact and the perceived insufficiency of digital contact as a substitute. Public Library of Science 2021-10-13 /pmc/articles/PMC8513854/ /pubmed/34644328 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258344 Text en © 2021 McKenna-Plumley et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
McKenna-Plumley, Phoebe E.
Graham-Wisener, Lisa
Berry, Emma
Groarke, Jenny M.
Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title_full Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title_fullStr Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title_full_unstemmed Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title_short Connection, constraint, and coping: A qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK
title_sort connection, constraint, and coping: a qualitative study of experiences of loneliness during the covid-19 lockdown in the uk
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8513854/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34644328
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258344
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