A Phenomenological Study of the Behavioral Reactions and Coping of Physicians with Covid-19

Doctors and nurses are at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 disease. The aim of this study was to identify behavioral reactions and coping physicians' improvements in Covid-19 disease.

In the present study, the phenomenological method was used. The population of this study included all physicians who recovered from Covid-19 disease in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd between March 2020 and June 2020.Sampling was purposefully selected and studied through in-depth semi-structured interviews and sampling continued until theoretical saturation. Colaizzi method was used to analyze the data.

Data analysis led to the identification of 2 main themes, 8 sub-themes and 30 basic concepts. The first theme was "Effective Behavioral Reactions." Effective behavioral reactions included a set of reactions that included sub-themes: 1- self-management, 2- supportive behaviors, 3- relationship management, 4- effective emotion-based coping, and 5- problem-based coping. The second major theme was "dysfunctional behavioral reactions." Dysfunctional behavioral reactions included a set of reactions that included sub-themes: 1- avoidance behaviors, 2- pathological behaviors, and 3- rebellion and laziness.

Overall, the results of this study showed that the experience of physicians with Covid-19 has severe and adverse consequences and sometimes growth, which were classified into two main axes of efficient behavioral reactions and dysfunctional behavioral reactions. This article is an approach to continue the study of psychological reactions and the development of psychological intervention protocols.