Lived Experiences of International Midwifery Students in Turkey during the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people in many areas of the world. Similarly, international students have also experienced some physical, mental, and social changes during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have not been able to go to their home countries for several reasons, like economic problems, permissions and restrictions, and uncertainty. Therefore, their needs such as physical, financial and psychosocial support should be recognised and met. This study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of international midwifery students in Turkey during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a phenomenological methodology, 18 in-depth interviews were completed via an online video programme, and a thematic analysis was completed. Eighteen international midwifery students were reached by the snowball technique of the purposive sampling method in a city in the Black Sea region. A content analysis method was applied in order to analyse the data, and the comments were expressed descriptively. Eight themes, and subthemes for each of them, were analysed. The themes are the effects of the pandemic on daily life; health; social life; education; mental health; being infected in Turkey; the changes caused by the pandemic in individuals; and the ways to cope with the pandemic. The study concluded that the students’ daily social lives, physical and mental health, and education had been affected by the pandemic. In spite of all its negative sides, the pandemic had some positive contributions for the students, such as helping them to discover and know themselves and become stronger.