Familial and Social Stressors Among Jordanian Midwives Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

To explore Jordanian midwives’ experiences at their homes and in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The global crisis of COVID-19 disturbs the daily lives of all people including healthcare professionals. Previous studies examined stressors facing healthcare professionals while working with patients. However, studies exploring the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on the personal lives of midwives are lacking. A descriptive qualitative design. Data were collected using telephone semi-structured interviews from March to April 2020. Twenty (20) midwives from two hospitals were recruited using purposive and snowballing sampling strategies. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Three major themes emerged including “the Pandemic Shaking Our Lives” with the sub-themes of “ Fear to be a “reservoir” of the virus” and “Daily Life Activities Disturbances.” The other two major themes were “Social Stigma” and “Midwives’ Response to the crisis.” Jordanian midwives felt overwhelmed and experienced stressful experiences in their homes and communities during the national lockdown. More focus on midwives’ psychological status and factors influencing them during the crisis is needed rather than focusing on work stressors to avoid any familial-work conflicts and maintain the best level of care provided.