“We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study
The study concerns psycho-social domains experienced in a diverse suburban middle-class community, reporting the most positive cases and the deepest suffering, and interactions towards adaptation in stressful situations, such as the Coronavirus pandemic. This qualitative investigation used a descrip...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Societies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/4/90 |
| _version_ | 1797603462711607296 |
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| author | Susanne Jacobs |
| author_facet | Susanne Jacobs |
| author_sort | Susanne Jacobs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The study concerns psycho-social domains experienced in a diverse suburban middle-class community, reporting the most positive cases and the deepest suffering, and interactions towards adaptation in stressful situations, such as the Coronavirus pandemic. This qualitative investigation used a descriptive design, with a strengths-based perspective directing a two-phased method. Through non-probability convenience sampling, 80 participants completed a web-based qualitative questionnaire (phase one). From those, 20 purposely selected volunteers participated in individual, face-to-face, open-ended, and unstructured interviews (phase 2). Themes, interpreted as one set, show how strengths and resilience appear, despite extreme shock and uncertainty. Transitional processes in psycho-social spheres reveal conscious decisions towards dynamic engagement, embracing change, reflecting on life’s value, and regarding novel meaningful priorities in contrast with “before”. Most prominent relational spaces have human connections in the inner (close) and outer (community) circles. Personal, meaningful relationships strengthen social bonds. Appreciative inquiry (AI) assisted in the transitional process to co-construct awareness of the positive core, emotional agility, and pride in embracing and expanding on newly developed strengths. Interpreted inductively, meaning described in abstracted knowledge can be transferred to and integrated with other contexts, identifying new initiatives and trans-, multi-, and inter-disciplinary debates mitigating psycho-social consequences and fostering resilience during disasters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:32:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-df55b3236ecf474bbd6ead16c8aa11a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4698 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:32:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Societies |
| spelling | doaj.art-df55b3236ecf474bbd6ead16c8aa11a62023-11-17T21:21:26ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982023-04-011349010.3390/soc13040090“We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based StudySusanne Jacobs0Faculty of Health Sciences, COMPRES (Community Psychosocial Research), CCYC (Centre for Child, Youth and Family Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South AfricaThe study concerns psycho-social domains experienced in a diverse suburban middle-class community, reporting the most positive cases and the deepest suffering, and interactions towards adaptation in stressful situations, such as the Coronavirus pandemic. This qualitative investigation used a descriptive design, with a strengths-based perspective directing a two-phased method. Through non-probability convenience sampling, 80 participants completed a web-based qualitative questionnaire (phase one). From those, 20 purposely selected volunteers participated in individual, face-to-face, open-ended, and unstructured interviews (phase 2). Themes, interpreted as one set, show how strengths and resilience appear, despite extreme shock and uncertainty. Transitional processes in psycho-social spheres reveal conscious decisions towards dynamic engagement, embracing change, reflecting on life’s value, and regarding novel meaningful priorities in contrast with “before”. Most prominent relational spaces have human connections in the inner (close) and outer (community) circles. Personal, meaningful relationships strengthen social bonds. Appreciative inquiry (AI) assisted in the transitional process to co-construct awareness of the positive core, emotional agility, and pride in embracing and expanding on newly developed strengths. Interpreted inductively, meaning described in abstracted knowledge can be transferred to and integrated with other contexts, identifying new initiatives and trans-, multi-, and inter-disciplinary debates mitigating psycho-social consequences and fostering resilience during disasters.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/4/90appreciative inquiry (AI)coronavirus lockdowndiverse suburban communitypsycho-social domainsresiliencestrengths based approach (SBA) |
| spellingShingle | Susanne Jacobs “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study Societies appreciative inquiry (AI) coronavirus lockdown diverse suburban community psycho-social domains resilience strengths based approach (SBA) |
| title | “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study |
| title_full | “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study |
| title_fullStr | “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study |
| title_short | “We Can Manage This Corona Disaster”: Psycho-Social Experiences of a Diverse Suburban Middle-Class Community in South Africa: Interview-Based Study |
| title_sort | we can manage this corona disaster psycho social experiences of a diverse suburban middle class community in south africa interview based study |
| topic | appreciative inquiry (AI) coronavirus lockdown diverse suburban community psycho-social domains resilience strengths based approach (SBA) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/4/90 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susannejacobs wecanmanagethiscoronadisasterpsychosocialexperiencesofadiversesuburbanmiddleclasscommunityinsouthafricainterviewbasedstudy |