The Dust Settles Differently: Transforming, Surviving and Struggling in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
1
The Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
2
Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
3
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash Health, Victoria, Australia
4
Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity,, Victoria, Australia
5
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
6
Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3147
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Coping and resilience following disasters have primarily been studied regarding rapid onset, geographically discrete and time-limited disasters such as fires and floods. In contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic was a prolonged global crisis characterised by sustained uncertainty, recurrent threat, social isolation and varying public health restrictions that limited access to coping resources. However, qualitative understanding of how individuals navigated prolonged disruption, and how pandemic coping and resilience processes differ from post–natural disasters, is limited. This study aims to explore individuals’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the coping processes they navigated.
METHODS:
We conducted semi-structured interviews in 2025 with 20 participants randomly selected from the OPTIMISE COVID-19 cohort in Victoria, Australia.1 Interviews with participants (13 female,7 male) explored experiences of the pandemic, coping strategies, social connections and recovery. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz), using iterative coding, comparison and memo-writing.2 Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently until theoretical sufficiency was achieved.
RESULTS:
Three dynamic coping processes were identified: Transforming, Surviving, and Struggling. Participants in the Transforming group described using the physical and emotional experiences created by lockdowns to re-evaluate priorities and develop new purpose and meaning, with pandemic disruption acting as a catalyst for profound, phoenix-like, change across multiple life domains. The Surviving group described having endured the pandemic and, at the time of interview, having returned to a pre-pandemic sense of normal, with pandemic-related stressors viewed as largely resolved. In contrast, the Struggling group described being worse off than before the pandemic, characterised by losses in self-reliance, financial stability, health, and self-efficacy, often resulting from job loss, major life transitions, health impacts and strained personal relationships.
CONCLUSIONS:
Understanding the different ways people navigated the pandemic context can inform pandemic preparedness, recovery planning and targeted mental health interventions, and contribute to multi-hazard policies and services.
Coping and resilience following disasters have primarily been studied regarding rapid onset, geographically discrete and time-limited disasters such as fires and floods. In contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic was a prolonged global crisis characterised by sustained uncertainty, recurrent threat, social isolation and varying public health restrictions that limited access to coping resources. However, qualitative understanding of how individuals navigated prolonged disruption, and how pandemic coping and resilience processes differ from post–natural disasters, is limited. This study aims to explore individuals’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the coping processes they navigated.
METHODS:
We conducted semi-structured interviews in 2025 with 20 participants randomly selected from the OPTIMISE COVID-19 cohort in Victoria, Australia.1 Interviews with participants (13 female,7 male) explored experiences of the pandemic, coping strategies, social connections and recovery. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz), using iterative coding, comparison and memo-writing.2 Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently until theoretical sufficiency was achieved.
RESULTS:
Three dynamic coping processes were identified: Transforming, Surviving, and Struggling. Participants in the Transforming group described using the physical and emotional experiences created by lockdowns to re-evaluate priorities and develop new purpose and meaning, with pandemic disruption acting as a catalyst for profound, phoenix-like, change across multiple life domains. The Surviving group described having endured the pandemic and, at the time of interview, having returned to a pre-pandemic sense of normal, with pandemic-related stressors viewed as largely resolved. In contrast, the Struggling group described being worse off than before the pandemic, characterised by losses in self-reliance, financial stability, health, and self-efficacy, often resulting from job loss, major life transitions, health impacts and strained personal relationships.
CONCLUSIONS:
Understanding the different ways people navigated the pandemic context can inform pandemic preparedness, recovery planning and targeted mental health interventions, and contribute to multi-hazard policies and services.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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