Emotional Experiences of COVID-19 Patients in China: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study explored the emotional experiences of COVID-19 patients in China. Thirty-four patients diagnosed with COVID-19 participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. We used qualitative methods to investigate the distribution patterns and characteristics of patients’ emotional experiences. The results indicated that emotional experiences showed different characteristics at different stages during isolation and treatment. COVID-19 patients’ emotional discourse encompassed eight main themes, namely, feelings of shock at the diagnosis, yearning for future life, attachment to one’s family, depression during the treatment, self-restriction due to probable contagiousness, powerlessness about the disease, open-mindedness about death, and faith in the joint efforts to fight COVID-19. These themes related to experiences concerning infection, isolation, outlook on life and death, stigma, and macro-identity. The findings suggest that the unexpected experience of COVID-19 infection exacerbated patients’ negative emotions. COVID-19 patients’ emotional stress stemmed from isolated environments, physiological effects of the disease, panic about the unknown, and realistic economic pressure. The government, medical staff, family members of patients, and the media should therefore work together to ensure proper emotional care for COVID-19 patients.