Living alone in lockdown: Impact on mental health and coping mechanisms among young working adults

Abstract

In the wake of declaration of Covid-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the Prime Minister of India announced a nationwide lockdown to curb its spread. Subsequently, some groups of people found themselves away from their family or friends, and were unable to return to them. The aim of the research was to explore the lives of young adults who were living alone and working, during the lockdown in India. Focus was on their daily living, their relationships and their mental health. Twelve participants residing in various cities of India were included via the Internet. Focus group discussions were used to attain the objectives of the study. The data that emerged from the discussions, was analysed using thematic analysis. All participants had experienced different kinds of disruptions in their life due to the lockdown. This effect was mediated by their financial situation, their general comfort and preference for living alone, media, opportunities for non-virtual interactions and other kinds of recreation, quality of relationships and more. Though there were similarities in their coping methods, their perspective on the lockdown, the meaning they attributed to their current situation and their vision for their future was unique.