Adolescents’ Lockdown-Induced Coping Experiences (ALICE) study: A qualitative exploration of early adolescents’ experiences of lockdown and reintegration

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceived impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns among early adolescents in the North West of England, as well as explore the self-care and coping strategies that helped the young people continue to thrive. Fourteen adolescents, 9 boys and 5 girls, from white (n=8) and non-white (n=6) backgrounds were recruited from four secondary schools in North West England. Remote interviews with questions about the impact of lockdown were conducted with adolescents. The protection of the participants was ensured by following protocols that had been approved by our institutional research ethics committee. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data, quotes were divided under the thematic content, and results were then interpreted by analysing links across the whole data set. Four themes were identified: (1) Change: ‘Life Feels Weird’; (2) Embracing lockdown; (3) Feelings of Loss; and (4) Stress, Worry and Challenge. Processes identified will be able to help inform policy and practice for supporting adolescents in the future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the provision of resources for young people, schools and families.