Adolescents’ Lockdown-Induced Coping Experiences (ALICE) study: A
qualitative exploration of early adolescents’ experiences of lockdown
and reintegration
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceived
impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns among early adolescents in the North
West of England, as well as explore the self-care and coping strategies
that helped the young people continue to thrive. Fourteen adolescents, 9
boys and 5 girls, from white (n=8) and non-white (n=6)
backgrounds were recruited from four secondary schools in North West
England. Remote interviews with questions about the impact of lockdown
were conducted with adolescents. The protection of the participants was
ensured by following protocols that had been approved by our
institutional research ethics committee. Inductive thematic analysis was
used to analyse the interview data, quotes were divided under the
thematic content, and results were then interpreted by analysing links
across the whole data set. Four themes were identified: (1) Change:
‘Life Feels Weird’; (2) Embracing lockdown; (3) Feelings of Loss; and
(4) Stress, Worry and Challenge. Processes identified will be able to
help inform policy and practice for supporting adolescents in the
future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the
provision of resources for young people, schools and families.