The emotional wellbeing of people with psychosis during COVID-19

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Exploring emotional well-being of people with psychosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

• IRAS ID

  307481

• Contact name

  Jasmin Gill

• Contact email

  jasmin.gill3@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Birmingham

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 4 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  Rationale and Research Question:
  This research study proposes an exploration into the experiences of emotional well-being of people with psychosis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has been a novel experience and how people with psychosis may have navigated challenges to emotional health during the pandemic is unclear. It is hoped this study may help with supporting people with psychosis as the pandemic enters a recovery phase. The study seeks to answer how people with psychosis have experienced emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Methods:
  To answer this question, online semi-structured interviews with people with psychosis are proposed. Interviews, lasting approximately 60-90 minutes, will be conducted with service users from a local NHS Trust who have a diagnosis of psychosis prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. The study is looking for 8-12 participants. As part of the interviews, participants will be asked to co-create a virtual timeline with the chief investigator to help develop a visual illustration to accompany written transcripts of the the participant's verbal experiences. An interview schedule will be used to ask questions about the pandemic. The schedule uses open-ended questions and asks about specific events along the timeline which occurred during the pandemic, such as the government restrictions. Ideally, the study hopes those with higher positive symptoms will be analysed separately to those with higher negative symptoms to maintain a similar sample. The Positive And Negative Syndrome Scales will be used to guide these assessments of symptom profiles in participants.

  Analysis:
  Interviews will be audio recorded on an dictaphone, transcribed by hand and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

• REC name

  South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  22/SW/0038

• Date of REC Opinion

  23 Mar 2022

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion