Institutional Quarantine Experiences of COVID-19 Patients in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

Background: To mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic, the South Korean government implemented institutional quarantine in centralized facilities, termed living and treatment centers, or designated hospitals for patients who needed treatment (hereafter, facilities) from March 2020 to November 2022. Patients who tested positive were required to stay in these facilities for up to two weeks to meet the minimum 7-day isolation. During that period, prior evidence shows that COVID-19 patients experienced intense psychological and mental health challenges and physical suffering. However, there is limited evidence on their lived quarantine experiences. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to understand mental health and psychological experiences of COVID-19 patients who were quarantined in institutional facilities in Korea.

Methods: This study used semistructured phone interviews with 15 COVID-19 patients who were recruited through social media. A combined method of purposive and snowball sampling was used. Participants were eligible if they were adults, tested positive for COVID-19, and were quarantined at an institutional facility during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic when a strict social-distancing policy was implemented in Korea between early 2020 and mid-2021. The age of the participants ranged from 26 to 57 years old; 67% were women; and they spent 7 to 21 days in quarantine in an institutional facility: living and treatment centers (87%) or hospitals (13%).

Results: Nine subthemes were identified within three overarching themes related to the quarantine experiences of COVID-19 patients: (a) feelings of anxiety and guilty experienced right after COVID-19 infection (three subthemes: feeling anxious about being blamed for the infection, feeling guilty for causing harm and inconvenience to others, and worrying about financial and mental difficulties of colleagues who had to stop working because of my infection in the workplace); (b) constantly raising questions about the cause and impact of COVID-19 infection (three subthemes: feeling unfair that COVID-19 happened to me, feeling tired of having to provide private information to trace routes of infection, and feeling relieved that no additional cases occurred due to my infection); and (c) confronting mental health challenges in isolated facilities (three subthemes: feeling depressed while living a monotonous and repetitive life in the facility, feeling anxious about not being able to return to society after quarantine, and seeking ways to improve mental health in the facility).

Discussion: The findings showed that patients quarantined in an institutional facility immediately after COVID-19 infection constantly faced mental health challenges and an emotional rollercoaster, tried to find resources to manage these challenges, and wanted to get back to normal. The pandemic may have a prolonged effect on psychological and mental health, particularly among patients who were quarantined in an institutional facility. In the postpandemic context, this study emphasizes the immediate need to develop intervention or prevention programs tailored for quarantined individuals at risk of mental health and psychological challenges. Social workers could have an important role in monitoring psychological and mental health needs and delivering support to individuals in need.