Living in Home Quarantine: Analyzing Psychological Experiences of College Students during Covid-19 pandemic

Background and Aim: The Covid-2019 is a pneumonia that onset on December 31, 2019 in Wuhan, China, and then swept the world. Following the disease in Iran, people began a new life in quarantine to be safe. Quarantine life is accompanied by psychological, social and economic consequences, and its implementation requires the support, supervision and adherence of the country's medical staff. This phenomenological study was conducted to analyze college students' psychological experiences in home quarantine. Methods: This is qualitative research with an interpretive phenomenological approach. Purposeful sampling was done in Tehran, Iran in 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants in this study were postgraduate students with a natural experience of living in quarantine. Research data reached a theoretical saturation with 15 interviews. All data were recorded and handwritten and analyzed using the "Van Manen Phenomenology" approach. Results: Data analysis included four main themes, "developing negative emotions, confusion and pessimism", "developing obsessive-compulsive behavior about body and washing", "concerns about family health", "economic and social concerns, fear of tomorrow getting rid of the virus”. Conclusion: The students' experiences of living in quarantine were very unique. Understanding the complexities of their experiences, beliefs, and attitudes about living in quarantine can provide comprehensive plans for decision-makers, health care professionals, and mental health professionals.