Psychological Trauma of Mothers during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

The present study aimed to find the psychological trauma of mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research method was qualitative, and the interviewees were purposefully selected. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 mothers and continued until data saturation was reached. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of data analysis revealed four main themes and ten sub-themes, including (1) Maternal concerns (fear caused by media monitoring, children’s health concerns, concern for the children’s condition), (2) Repetitive behaviors and thoughts (unusual duplications, annoying thoughts), (3) depressed mood (depressed due to quarantine, annoyed by the death of others, tired of virtual education), and (4) Disrupted sleep and eating patterns (night awakenings, fluctuation in diet). The results showed that the mothers’ mental health was endangered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the issues discovered in this study provide information about the psychological trauma of mothers and other family members; therefore, relevant organizations should consider them in treatment and preventive measures.