"מאמי, זה לא בשבילך. תיכנסי הביתה"! תפיסה עצמית של זקנים בתקופת הקורונה: [מחקר איכותני]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic erupted in March 2020, and its limitations, challenged elderly people in many ways that could affect the cohesion and continuity of self-concept. The self-concept is defined differently in psychological and anthropological discourses, so that the former is mainly studied by personality structures and the latter by a constant person-environment dialogue. The anthropological concept includes the concept of embodiment, the knowledge conceptualized in a body, and the concept of agency, which allows a person to express their unique voice within a social and cultural context.Purpose: To examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-concept of community-dwelling older adults in Israel.Method: Qualitative research with a phenomenological approach, in which three semi- structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants between June and November 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis, for a total of 60 interviews.Findings: Analysis reveals exposes a central theme that demonstrates elements of continuity and discontinuity in the self-concept of elderly people during the COVID-19 crisis. Four sub-themes emerged: Self-presentation, COVID experience, Encounter with COVID, and Effects of the encounter. The findings express three patterns of coping, demonstrated by three personas which we named Adaptive, Forbearing, and Deteriorating. Conclusions and implications on the field of nursing: Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, community-dwelling elderly people's self-concept was challenged. Three coping patterns represent a dialogue around continuity and discontinuity in self-concept are discussed. We found that maintaining a positive and evolving self-concept continuum is adaptive, and even forms a sense of growth under the epidemic. The ability of an elder to express themselves via interactions with the environment is a tool in promoting this goal, as well as a therapeutic and educational ambition to promote it within the framework of person-centered therapeutic relationships.