Psychological Experiences of COVID-19 for People with a LD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCES OF CATCHING COVID-19 FOR PEOPLE WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY
IRAS ID
311920
Contact name
Faye Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak reached a global pandemic in March 2020, and at the time of writing there have been 340,543,962 confirmed cases and 5,570,163 deaths worldwide. Individuals who have had the COVID-19 virus experienced psychological burden as a result, including feeling in limbo, feeling distressed behind closed doors, and the guilt of being a carrier. People with a learning disability are particularly vulnerable to the physical, mental, and social impacts of the pandemic, mainly resulting from the exacerbated existing inequalities in this population. It is important to gain insight into the psychological experiences of catching COVID-19 in individuals with a learning disability, considering the prevalence of physical and mental health difficulties is higher in this population, compared to the general population. Voices from those with first-hand, lived experience are vital in gaining unbiased views of their experiences. The aim of the proposed study is to address the gap in the research of allowing those voices to be heard, and to explore, discover and describe the lived experiences of adults with a learning disability who have had the COVID-19 virus. This will be achieved by recruiting four to ten participants and conducting semi-structured interviews to allow for their experiences to be told and listened to. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be the chosen analysis to determine themes from transcripts. Finally, with regards to the implications of this proposed research, it will begin to allow for the public, researchers and professionals working with individuals with a learning disability, who have caught COVID-19, to understand their experiences an the psychological needs of this group. This research will also inform the development of appropriate, evidence-based psychological interventions for future pandemics for this group, and for the current pandemic.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NE/0188
Date of REC Opinion
30 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion