Psychological experience of Juvenile patients’ parents in Fangcang shelter hospital during the Omicron wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: To explore the psychological experience of Juvenile patient’s parents in Fangcang shelter hospital during the Omicron wave of COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted by using a phenomenological research method. Sixteen parents of juvenile patients with COVID-19 were recruited from National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai, China) Fangcang shelter hospital (FSH) using purposive sampling. Data were collected by face-to-face in-depth interviews over 27 days, from April 9 to May 6, 2022. The interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi seven-step analysis method. RESULTS: The psychological experiences of the parents of juvenile patients in the Fangcang shelter hospital were summarized into three themes: "perception regarding the FSH", "worried about the unmet needs of juvenile patients ", and "the psychological burden after discharge". These themes were classified into 9 sub-themes, including the acceptance of FSH, adaptability to FSH, concerns about cross-infection in the FSH, special needs of infants and young children, psychological needs of preschool children, the learning demands of school-age children, concern about re-positive, fear of sequelae, worry about social acceptance. CONCLUSION: Juvenile patients and their parents in the Fangcang shelter hospitals have both positive and negative experiences. It is suggested that facilities for minors should be planned in advance. Humanistic care for adolescent patients and health education for the public are also critical.