Lived Experiences of Home Quarantine during COVID-19 Pandemic in Iranian Families; a Phenomenological Study

Aims: People’s experiences of home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic are essential to maximize its prevention and minimize its negative effects on families and society to better understand public needs and concerns. This study was aimed to explore the lived experiences of home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iranian families. Participants Methods: This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Participants were 34 residents of Guilan province, north of Iran, who had experienced living in-home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling and the method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. All data were recorded and transcribed and thematically analyzed based on Colaizzi proposed steps. To ensure the rigor of the data, the 4-item scale was used, which includes dependability, credibility, confirmability, and data transferability. Findings: Four main themes were extracted from data analysis; emerging experiences such as the emergence of new habits, compulsory rest, paying more attention to spirituality, anxious days such as constant anxiety, trapped in a cage, and increased tensions at home, in contrasting of fear and hope such as simultaneously positive and negative emotions, and being engaged with true and false news, and in financial strait such as the need to buy expensive personal protective equipment, low wages, and forced to the sale of personal belongings. Conclusion: The Iranian society experienced various consequences in its social life, economic situation, and psychological condition during the home quarantine for the COVID-19 pandemic, which should be considered by the country’s health officials and decision-makers.