COVID-19 Health Crisis Experiences Interview Guide

Abstract

The COVID-19 Health Crisis Experiences Interview Guide (Ben Rejeb, Isaac, & Januel, 2023) is an 8-item semi-structured interview developed to measure the subjective experiences of hospitalized psychiatric patients during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in France (March to June 2020).

The instrument was designed to capture the lived reality of the health crisis and subsequent confinement measures among inpatients, regardless of whether they had contracted the COVID-19 virus. The interview, which takes approximately 30 minutes to administer, utilizes open-ended questions to gather detailed qualitative data regarding patients’ reactions, perceptions of contamination risk, and evaluation of institutional care during the emergency period. The initial study sample included twelve hospitalized patients in France (six COVID-19 positive and six negative).

Keywords

Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health Crisis Experiences, Hospitalized Patients, Mental Disorders, Psychiatric Patients, Semi-Structured Interview, Qualitative Assessment.

Authors

Ben Rejeb, Hammadi, Isaac, Clémence, Januel, Dominique.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this French-language interview guide is to conduct a detailed, qualitative examination of the experiences of hospitalized individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It specifically focuses on capturing the subjective reality of the health crisis and the resulting social and institutional confinement.

The instrument provides a framework for researchers and clinicians to understand the unique challenges faced by psychiatric inpatients, including their concerns about contamination, the impact of confinement on their well-being, and their perspectives on the management of the crisis within the healthcare setting.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological and experiential construct of “Health Crisis Experiences” among psychiatric inpatients. This construct is explored through eight open-ended questions targeting various dimensions related to the pandemic environment and institutional response.

The dimensions captured include the affective and cognitive impact of viral diagnosis (if applicable), the subjective experience of confinement (whether at home or in the hospital), the perceived repercussions of the health crisis on daily routines and habits, and the patient’s evaluation of the medical and psychological care received. Because the instrument utilizes qualitative assessment methods, it seeks rich, narrative data rather than quantifiable scores on predefined factors.

Validity

No specific data concerning the validity (e.g., content, criterion, or construct validity) of the COVID-19 Health Crisis Experiences Interview Guide is available in the foundational publication (Ben Rejeb et al., 2023). Given its nature as a qualitative, exploratory instrument, formal psychometric validation may not be the primary focus, though content relevance is established by the context of the crisis and the target population.

Reliability

As an eight-item, open-ended, semi-structured interview guide designed for qualitative assessment, traditional psychometric reliability statistics (such as internal consistency or test-retest reliability) are not reported in the available literature. Reliability, in this context, would typically rely on inter-rater agreement during the thematic coding and analysis of the interview transcripts.

Factor Analysis

No data regarding factor analysis (exploratory or confirmatory) is available for this instrument. This is consistent with its design as a qualitative assessment tool intended for in-depth exploration of individual experiences, rather than the measurement of latent quantitative factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: Responses are open-ended, collected via a semi-structured interview protocol.

Language Available: French

Population Group: Human; Male; Female; Inpatient

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details: Location: France. Respondents: Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients with a Mental Disorder; COVID-19 Positive; COVID-19 Negative

Test Methodology: Qualitative Assessment Methods

Keywords

Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health Crisis Experiences, Hospitalized Patients, Mental Disorders, Psychiatric Patients, Semi-Structured Interview, Confinement.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Isaac, Clémence: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9229-0249

Affiliation Email addresses: Januel, Dominique: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Januel, Dominique: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Pôle 93G03, Hôpital de Ville-Evrard, 202 avenue Jean-Jaurès, Neuilly-sur-Marne, France, 93330, [email protected]

Affiliations:

• Ben Rejeb, Hammadi: Pôle 93G03, Unité d’Hospitalisation Temps Plein, Établissement Public de Santé Ville-Evrard
• Isaac, Clémence: Unité de Recherche Clinique, Hôpital de Ville-Evrard
• Januel, Dominique: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Pôle 93G03, Hôpital de Ville-Evrard

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching

Commercial: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023 (Year of Publication)

Reference’s

Ben Rejeb, H., Isaac, C., & Januel, D. (2023). Regards croisés de patients psychiatriques COVID positifs ou négatifs sur leur vécu de la crise sanitaire au sein d’une unité COVID lors de la première vague [Cross-views of positive or negative COVID psychiatric patients on their experience of the health crisis in a COVID unit during the first wave].

Annales Médico-Psychologiques, 181

(7), 635–640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amp.2022.01.005

Items of the COVID-19 Health Crisis Experiences Interview Guide

This is an 8-item measure.

• Homment avez-vous réagi lorsque vous avez appris que vous aviez le Coronavirus? (Si COVID-19+)
• Avez-vous un membre de votre famille proche qui a contracté le virus? Si oui, comment l’avez-vous vécu au sein de votre famille?
• Comment avez-vous vécu le confinement? (À la maison, à l’hôpital ou au travail)
• Quelles sont les répercussions de la crise sanitaire sur votre vie? (Habitudes de vie, travail. . .)
• Qu’est-ce qui a eu un impact positif sur votre bien-être ou votre santé durant le confinement?
• Que pensez-vous de la prise en charge des patients durant cette crise sanitaire?
• Quel a été votre ressenti vis-à-vis du risque de contamination? (À l’extérieur en général, à l’hôpital)
• Que pensez-vous des mesures du déconfinement partiel et comment le vivez-vous?