Psychological Lockdown Experiences: Downtime or an Unexpected Time for Being?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• COVID-19 Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated unprecedented lockdowns, significantly altering daily life.
• These societal shifts impacted individuals' routines, thoughts, feelings, and life perceptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore young adults' perceptions of life during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.
• To analyze the emotional, cognitive, and experiential aspects of lockdown among university students.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory methodology applied to qualitative data from 293 university students.
• Analysis of narratives concerning time and space perception using Atlas 8 software.
• Development of 68 codes organized into three categories: confined in the present, confined in the past, and striving toward one's goals.

Main Results:

• Lockdown induced a fragmented perception of time continuity, with a static and fixed experience of the present.
• Participants perceived the present as discontinuous from the past.
• Young adults simultaneously projected toward the future and potential changes.

Conclusions:

• The study identified a core category of "continuity of being" disrupted by the lockdown.
• Spatial confinement influenced temporal perception, leading to feelings of fragmentation.
• Findings offer insights into young adults' psychological adaptation and future orientation during crises.