Experiencing the First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic: Feelings and Thoughts of Emerging Adults

COVID-19 brought many changes in the daily functioning of many individuals, including emerging adults, due to social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and the closure of public institutions, thus representing a threat to physical and mental health. We investigated how emerging adults felt regarding their experience during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were also interested in what they had been thinking about in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic one year after its declaration. To answer these questions, we conducted a qualitative study. The participants included 51 students aged 19 to 28 years old. Conducting thematic analysis six themes related to the students' feelings towards COVID-19 emerged: collection of fears, signs of depressed state, social discomfort, loneliness and nostalgia, mood swings and adaptation, and resistance through emotions. Four additional themes emerged related to students' thoughts on COVID-19: reviewing all information related to the virus, how to protect yourself, orientation to a positive future, and reflection on human strength. These findings give an important insight into the challenges experienced by emerging adults from their perspective, which is valuable for further informing public policy and communities, to create preventive programs that could be applied in similar critical situations.