The difference between the lived experience of healthy spouses and mourning spouses during the corona virus epidemic

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on spouses' relationships. The high mortality rate from this disease is also a serious challenge. The aim of study was to identify and investigate the differences between the life experiences of healthy spouses and mourning spouses during the corona virus epidemic. The research method was qualitative interpretive phenomenology. The statistical population was all healthy spouses of Tehran and Khorasan Razavi provinces, who have not been infected with the disease since the beginning of the outbreak and all spouses of these two provinces who lost their spouses due to corona virus. The sample included 9 healthy and 8 mourning spouses. The available sampling method was used for healthy spouses and the targeted and snowball method was used for mourning spouses. Interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner, then implemented verbatim and analyzed by Colaizzi method. 4 main themes were identified in the experiences of both groups: worries, personal reactions, changes in social relationships and changes in attitudes. The main differences were in the sub-themes (e.g., illness concerns for healthy spouses and worries about survival for mourning spouses) and were similar in main themes due to the commonality of the questions.