Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe challenges for many segments of society around the world. Previous studies focusing on women during outbreaks of diseases like Ebola show that women's lives were changed in many aspects. Thus, the present research aimed to explore the problems and proposed solutions during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic by using a qualitative method among a sample of women in Turkey (n = 728, Mage = 25.26, SD = 8.16). In an online form, participants responded to two open-ended questions about their problems during the pandemic and possible solutions to these problems. According to conventional content analysis findings, 10 main categories for the problems and 10 main categories for the proposed solutions were revealed. Problems were mainly focused on psychological and relational issues, while the proposed solutions focused on healthy coping styles. We discuss the findings in the context of the recent literature on the pandemic and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to strengthen all countries' capacities, specifically focusing on women's psychological wellbeing.
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