Perceptions and Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic amongst Frontline Nurses and Their Relatives in France in Six Paradoxes: A Qualitative Study

Stephanie Chandler-Jeanville, Rita Georges Nohra, Valerie Loizeau, Corinne Lartigue-Malgouyres, Roger Zintchem, David Naudin and Monique Rothan-Tondeur
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Stephanie Chandler-Jeanville: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
Rita Georges Nohra: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
Valerie Loizeau: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
Corinne Lartigue-Malgouyres: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
Roger Zintchem: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
David Naudin: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France
Monique Rothan-Tondeur: Nursing Sciences Research Chair, Laboratory Educations and Health Practices, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, 93017 Bobigny, France

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: Due to their frontline position to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the professional and personal life of nurses was severely disrupted. To understand and describe their lived experiences and perceptions during the pandemic’s first wave in France, we interviewed 49 nurses, including 16 nursing students, and 48 of their family members from June to July 2020. Using a purposeful sampling, the semi-structured interviews were scripted according to Abric’s method with probing questions. The interview analysis led to the identification of six paradoxical perceptions concerning the pandemic’s consequences: the Silence Paradox, the Hero Paradox, the Workforce Paradox, the Learning Paradox, the Symbolic Exchange Paradox, and the Uncertainty Paradox. However, despite different experiences, the nurses perceived their frontline position both as a burden jeopardizing their safety and well-being and as a spotlight of nurses’ tough working conditions. Indeed, because they were in the frontline position, nurses and nursing students were psychologically vulnerable, even more so when they felt alone and inadequately protected. Besides, their families were vulnerable too, as they were also exposed to the consequences of the nurses’ frontline engagement. Thus, to preserve their safety and well-being, institutions should also provide them with better organizational support and inclusive leadership, without neglecting their families.

Keywords: COVID-19; frontline nurses; families; paradoxes; well-being; France (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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