Spanish residents’ experiences of care during the first wave of the COVID-19 syndemic: a photo-elicitation study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The main aim of this research was to explore experiences of care during the lockdown of the first wave of COVID-19 syndemic in Spain

Methods

This is a qualitative and explorative study using self-photo-elicitation as a data collection method. Fifteen participants (Twelve women and three men) shared 25 photographs and one video between the June 18 and August, 2020. Participants’ photographs and texts were collected online. Data were analysed based on Thematic Analysis.

Results

Three emerging categories were constructed: 1) the deconstruction of care: self-care and collective care 2) the crisis of care and gendered care, 2) beyond anthropocentrism: animalism and ecology. Findings indicate the need to understand “care” in terms of social reproduction, including self-care, care towards other humans and non-human animals, and collective care. Also, the need to care for planetary health and to be in contact with nature as a form of self-care and social care.

Conclusions

Care in a period of social and health crisis puts human relationships and also non-human life at the centre. Care requires adopting taking an ecological one-health perspective.

KEYWORDS:

• Care work
• COVID-19
• lockdown
• gender
• photo-elicitation
• self-care
• collective care
• Spain

Acknowledgments

We thank all the people who have participated in the photo elicitation process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The project received a research grant from the Carlos III Institute of Health, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain), awarded on the call for the creation of Health Outcomes-Oriented Cooperative Research Networks (RICOR), with reference RD21/0016/xxxx, co-funded with European Union – NextGenerationEU funds.

Notes on contributors

Laura Medina-Perucha

Laura Medina-Perucha (MSc, PhD) is a health psychologist and social sciences researcher in health. Her research interests and experience are on women’s health and social inequities of health. Dr Medina-Perucha’s PhD research at the University of Bath (UK) [Sexual health and social inequities in women on opioid substitution treatment: what are the opportunities for community pharmacy?] focused on sexual health and social inequities in women who use drugs. During her PhD she worked as a research assistant at the University of Bath (UK) from 2015 until 2018. Since March 2019, Dr Medina-Perucha has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGoL) in Barcelona (Spain). Among other projects, she is the principal investigator of the “Equity and Menstrual Health in Spain”, funded by the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. She has been awarded a Sara Borrell postdoctoral grant in 2021. She is also teaching qualitative research methods in the MSc Public Health (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and Social Psychology (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya).

Constanza Jacques-Aviñó

Constanza Jacques-Aviñó, has a degree in Psychology, a Master in Public Health and PhD in Medical Anthropology (University Rovira i Virgili). She is a social sciences and public health researcher at the Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària (IDIAPJGol). She also exercises postgraduate teaching activities, is a qualitative research professor in the master’s degree in public health at the Pompeu Fabra University, a master’s degree in Master in International Health and Cooperation at the University Autonomy de Barcelona and in the Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the Open University of Catalonia, where she teaches Community Psychology and has collaborated in the development of various teaching materials. She is a member of the working group on social determinants of health of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE), in the immigration initiative. Her research focuses on social inequities of health from a gender and intercultural perspective, social participation and sexual health. She is currently leading a project on the social and psychological impact in Spain and Latin America. She currently has several publications in journals with an impact factor and extensive experience in health and social interventions.

Tomàs López-Jiménez

Tomàs López-Jiménez has a degree in Statistics and a Master’s in Public Health. He is currently a PhD student. From 2004-2015 he worked as a researcher and statistician at the IMIM Foundation (GRECMC unit), and during the years 2011-1015 he also worked as an associate professor in the Medicine degree UAB-UPF (Barcelona). Since 2015 he works as a statistician and researcher at the IDIAPJGol foundation, and has tutored final degree projects for nursery students at the Gimbernat University (UAB) and is currently tutoring a final master’s degree project in public health. He is an expert in statistical analysis in the SPSS, SAS, Stata and R programs. He participate in projects related to cancer, health surveys, menstrual health, mental health, environmental pollutants, diabetes, hypertension, drugs and general medicine. Within the different projects he has worked, among others, aspects related to gender, agingageing, social class, occupation, education and obesity. He has published more than 40 scientific articles in international journals.

Catuxa Maiz

Catuxa Máiz-Mazuela has a degree in Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health in Pompeu Fabra University. She is currently a PhD student in Open University of Catalonia. She has experience in qualitative and mixed methodology research in the fields of Public Health. She has participated in projects on topics such as mental health, gender, care, COVID-19 syndemic and long-term care.

Anna Berenguera

Anna Berenguera Ossó has a degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Social Sciences from the University of Surrey (United Kingdom). In 2011, she obtained the title of Doctor in Public Health from the University of Barcelona. Currently, she works as a social science researcher and coordinator of the Transversal Research Unit at the Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària (IDIAPJGoL). Since 2017, he has been part of the internal scientific committee of IDIAP Jordi Go. She also exercises postgraduate teaching activities, is a qualitative research professor in the master’s degree in public health at the Pompeu Fabra University, a master’s degree in health promotion at the University of Girona and the University of Lleida. She has experience in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodology research in the fields of Public Health, Primary and Community Care. Its main lines of research are: health promotion, community health, complex interventions, Long Covid and citizen participation in research. She currently has more than 50 publications in impact factor journals and more than 1400 citations, accumulating an H index of 18. She is also the principal investigator of different projects in competitive calls.