Des psychologues en milieu hospitalier lors de la crise sanitaire de la Covid-19 : mieux comprendre leur vécu à l’aide du concept de générativité

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone was confronted with their finitude, risking a crisis of meaning. Considering with Erikson (1950) that generativity is a great vector of meaning in life, which allows an individual to ensure the continuity of society through transmission and care, caregivers usually have a higher generativity score than the general population (Grossman & Gruenewald, 2017). This study then looks for signs of generativity among caregivers, hypothesising that it was particularly mobilised during this health crisis.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of psychologists working in hospitals on somatic wards in order to identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and signs of generativity.

Method

In this exploratory, qualitative, prospective, multicenter study, nine psychologists working in hospital wards were interviewed individually to explore their experiences during a semi-structured interview.

Results

The markers of existential crisis linked to COVID-19, such as signs of exhaustion and anxiety, were prominent in their discourse. Strong elements of generativity are also found in the interviews. This reflects the testing of their resources.

Conclusion

Generativity allowed adaptation during the crisis but does not seem to be sufficient to protect against exhaustion and existential crisis.