The Impact of Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical and Mental Health: The Lived Experience of Adolescents with Obesity and Their Caregivers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Henriette Löffler-Stastka¹  Vanessa Bertuzzi²  Alessandro Sartorio³  Tamara Prevendar⁴  Gianluca Castelnuovo⁵  Michela Bottacchi⁵  Roberto Cattivelli⁵  Clarissa Volpi⁵  Giada Pietrabissa⁵  Enrico Molinari⁵  Giada Rapelli⁵  Anna Guerrini Usubini⁵ 

[1] Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, 20123 Milan, Italy;Experimental Laboratory for Auxo-Endocrinological Research, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, 28824 Piancavallo, Italy;Psychology Programme, Sigmund Freud University, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;Psychology Research Laboratory, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, 20145 Milan, Italy;

关键词: obesity;    adolescent;    caregiver;    lived experience;    coronavirus disease;    social isolation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph18063026

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Adolescence is a complex developmental phase, made more complex by obesity and the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature related to the impact of social isolation on obesity self-management in adolescents is scant and inconsistent. This paper describes the phenomenon from the perspectives of a sample of adolescents with obesity enrolled in an inpatients’ multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight-loss and their caregivers, and its impact on different life domains. Individual semi-structured ad hoc interviews were conducted with 10 adolescent-caregiver dyads, and narratives were qualitatively investigated using an interpretative phenomenology approach to data. Twenty participants took part in the study. The major themes that emerged from this study fall into five basic categories: (1) COVID-19 as an opportunity to reconsider what makes a good life; (2) Persistence in life; (3) Empowering relationship; (4) Daily routine in quarantine; (5) Lives on hold. Understandings drawn from this study may assist health care professionals in providing holistic support, and guidance to adolescents with weight-related issues and their caregivers who experience social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

Unknown