Resilience and Coping in a Rare Skeletal Disease Population to Face Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak Distress: a Longitudinal Study

Overview

In the COVID-19 outbreak context, people living with rare diseases have been highly troubled with anxiety, loneliness, and depression. The project evaluates resilience and coping strategies to address pandemic impact by discussion in a dedicated focus group using a web-based platform. The goal is to improve, in a sustainable manner, the coping skills and psychological well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults affected by rare skeletal diseases.

March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic accordingly with the spread and size of the infection. The restrictions implemented by the governments have substantially changed people's lifestyles, facilitating the emergence of emotions such as fear, anxiety, and a sense of loneliness. The age groups most involved by these burdens have been childhood, adolescence, and young adults. These groups have experienced dramatic changes in their daily life in order the relational, educational, and social networks. Nonetheless, these links outline the ideal environment for the development of resilience and the promotion of coping strategies to face traumatic events. These lifestyle challenges and their consequences are even more evident in the context of the rare diseases since the outbreak containment measures have emphasized the troubles with which people affected by these conditions are daily forced to confront, in terms of access to care and treatments, resulting in increased stress and anxiety. The current phase represents a sensitive step for the resumption of the activities in charge of the health and social service aimed at the citizens and especially to people with special needs, such as people suffering from rare diseases. The pandemic experience has promoted new forms of meeting and contact between individuals using web-based platforms, playing a fundamental role in preserving the community and "sociality" dimensions. In this scenario, the rare diseases could be an attractive model since the pandemic impinges over their bio-psycho-social characteristics at different levels. Resilience and coping strategies adopted by rare diseases patients could configure as an exemplum to face the psychological distress resulting from anti-pandemic measures, suggesting new approaches of taking charge by health service. This study evaluates resilience and coping strategies to address pandemic impact by discussion in a dedicated focus group using a web-based platform. The goal is to improve, in a sustainable manner, the coping skills and psychological well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults affected by rare skeletal diseases.