A Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experiences of Maintaining a Job during the Covid-19 Pandemic Among People with Serious Mental Illness in South Korea

Background and Purpose: The mental health and job security of people with serious mental illness (SMI) who were employed appear to be at risk during the Covid-19 pandemic. These individuals have not only experienced the bio-psycho-social damage caused by the pandemic but also additional workplace stressors resulting from changed working conditions such as reduced hours and wages, and remote and digital work. Furthermore, they have been disadvantaged in the labor market. Despite these issues, little is known about how Korean adults with SMI have managed to maintain their jobs during the pandemic. This study aims to investigate their experiences in-depth, focusing on the pandemic's impact on their life and work, perceived changes in job maintenance, and coping mechanisms.

Methods: A phenomenological approach was employed in this study, with recruitment, data collection, and analysis taking place from September 2022 to February 2023. Purposive sampling was used to identify adults with SMI who had maintained a job for over 6 months during the pandemic while receiving community mental health services. Twelve people with SMI (10 males and 2 females, with an average of 2 years and 10 months on the job) were recruited as research participants from a community psychiatric rehabilitation center in Busan, Korea. In-depth individual interviews were conducted using a semi-structured, face-to-face approach. The first interviews (1.5 hours) were conducted with all participants, followed by additional interviews (less than an hour) with half of them. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using NVivo software and the procedure of Van Kaam (1966).

Results: Findings suggested three main themes and 7 subthemes: 1) the pandemic as a trial of life – a) a threat to existing daily life (i.e., loss of balance in the normal routine and increased stress vulnerability); and b) precarious work life (i.e., pre-existing and additional workplace stressors, growing anxiety about infection, and heightened job insecurity); 2) getting through it by enduring oneself and leaning on each other – a) individual efforts to enduring (i.e., self-care, high job commitment, and help-seeking); b) community as a place to lean on (i.e., support from workplace, neighbors, and family); and c) health and welfare services as a wide umbrella (i.e., support from community mental health services, employment support programs, general welfare provisions, and the pandemic response services); and 3) living wisely in a new balance and hope – a) finding a new balance amid the pandemic (i.e., with corona, attention to personal life and community, and adaption to online environments); and b) being reborn as a mature worker (i.e., increased finance and job competence, designing a new future, and wishing for long-term employment)

Conclusions and Implications: Active individual copings and the helpfulness of health and welfare services were critical to maintaining their job and moving to a new normal despite the negative pandemic impacts on their life and work. Findings can inform the development of services to intervene in and prevent the crisis of this population and be compared to the relevant evidence in other countries.