A Qualitative Investigation of the Impact of COVID-19 on United States’ Frontline Health Care Workers and the Perceived Impact on Their Family Members

Gary Edward Schaffer (), Lisa Kilanowski and Brian En Chyi Lee
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Gary Edward Schaffer: Department of Counseling and School Psychology, College of Education, Niagara University, Lewiston, NY 14109, USA
Lisa Kilanowski: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC 3125, Australia
Brian En Chyi Lee: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC 3125, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Although previous research has documented the mental and physical health impacts that COVID-19 had on frontline health workers in the United States, little is known about how the pandemic affected their families. This study sought to explore the impact COVID-19 had on the individual functioning of frontline health care workers in the USA and the perceived impact it had on their family members during the initial nine months of the pandemic. More specifically, this study sought to explore if and how family roles, routines, rules, and social-emotional well-being changed as a result of COVID-19. Twenty-eight frontline health care workers across the United States who were parents to at least one child residing in the home under 24 were interviewed. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. From the analysis, four major themes emerged with regard to the changes and perceived impact to family functioning, family experiences of new hygiene practices, and stigma related to being a health care practitioner or having a family member working in health care, and psychological distress. The results of this study can be used by mental health clinicians to inform policy, develop practice guidelines, and help identify and target interventions for health care workers and their family members.

Keywords: frontline; health care worker; family functioning; family dynamic; COVID-19; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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