Liminality and insecurity: A qualitative study of young adults’ vulnerabilities during the first twelve months of COVID-19 in Australia

Cathy Banwell; Rebecca Williamson; Philip Batterham; Liana Leach; Christine LaBond; Alison L. Calear; Anna Olsen; Christine Philips; Yixuan Zhao; Tinh Doan; Erin Walsh

SSM: Qualitative Research in Health (Jun 2023)

Liminality and insecurity: A qualitative study of young adults’ vulnerabilities during the first twelve months of COVID-19 in Australia

Cathy Banwell,
Rebecca Williamson,
Philip Batterham,
Liana Leach,
Christine LaBond,
Alison L. Calear,
Anna Olsen,
Christine Philips,
Yixuan Zhao,
Tinh Doan,
Erin Walsh

Affiliations

Cathy Banwell: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia; Corresponding author. The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia.
Rebecca Williamson: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Philip Batterham: Centre for Mental Health Research, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Liana Leach: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Christine LaBond: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Alison L. Calear: Centre for Mental Health Research, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Anna Olsen: Medical School, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Christine Philips: Medical School, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Yixuan Zhao: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Tinh Doan: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
Erin Walsh: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3
p. 100260

Abstract

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COVID-19 has disrupted the normative social order, particularly for young adults. Their deteriorating mental health over 2020 has been associated with the economic and social conditions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 8 and 29 most of whom lived in Victoria, Australia. The interviews explored participants' experiences and responses to COVID-19, covering areas such as disrupted everyday practices and future plans, impacts on their physical and mental health, and interactions with community and services. Young adults were concerned about loss of social connectedness, their mental health and the complex interplay of issues such as employment, income, education and housing. They developed routines to protect their physical and mental health while in lockdown and some made the most of new opportunities. However, the pandemic may have had a profound effect by disrupting some young adults’ plans for the future, thus contributing to a sense of ontological insecurity.

Published in SSM: Qualitative Research in Health

ISSN: 2667-3215 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ssm-qualitative-research-in-health

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