Women Experiencing and Transforming Terror and Death Anxiety During COVID-19

During times of crises, humanistic-existential experiences can become extreme in terms of how individuals cope with negative emotions. Research during the year 2020 has shown that on the one hand, women are more challenged on different levels than men with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, women leaders have shown high-quality leadership to guide nations through the crisis. This study sought to explore the humanistic-existential experiences of women through the terror management theory and from a qualitative perspective. It used a qualitative research paradigm with a hermeneutical research approach and purposeful and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 16 women aged between 22 and 81 years and of 10 different nationalities who encountered COVID-19 themselves or experienced it in their family, colleagues, or friends. Data were collected from qualitative questionnaires/written interviews and analyzed through content analysis. Data are reported in a qualitative reporting style; quality criteria are presented and limitations discussed. Ethical considerations are addressed. Findings show that women are impacted by negative emotions, in particular anxiety and fear, which they cope with in different ways and which contribute to their meaning making. Conclusions and recommendations for future research and psychological practice are given.