Experiences of a global stressor during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of internal, partner and communal stress experiences across 20 nations

After the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, individuals worldwide have been experiencing considerable stress associated with the resulting threats and changes. However, only a few large-scale multination studies have qualitatively examined the cultural variations of coping responses in people who were in romantic relationships and lived with their partners during the lockdown. To fill this gap, the present study conducted a qualitative analysis of individual perceptions of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community stressors. The analysis utilized cross-sectional data collected from 10,650 citizens of 20 countries during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (March – July 2020). Inductive thematic analysis revealed four main themes related to stressors and one theme related to coping resources: 1) concerns for individual health and well-being; 2) challenges to personal relationships; 3) loss of future time perspective and adaptation to changes; 4) reactions of society, government, and media; and 5) resilience against stress. The findings reflected remarkable homogeneity of stress experiences across various countries and a few but important cultural variations. The mental health implications of the findings are discussed.