Psychological Experiences in Facing the Early Situation of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Adolescents, Adults, and the Elderly

The COVID-19 pandemic that has occurred since the beginning of 2019 has changed various aspects of human life. The rapid spread of the virus has restricted human activities, ranging from economic, educational, to socio-religious activities. This situation is a new thing for humans giving rise to various experiences. This study aimed to understand individual psychological experiences, including thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and perceptions in facing the pandemic in various age groups. This research consisted of two stages: the grounded theory survey approach and the phenomenological approach. In the first stage, as many as 447 participants of adolescence and early, middle to late adulthood have filled out an online questionnaire via the google form. The next stage was interviews with 15 participants related to experiences in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The interview results were then analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. The results showed that most adolescents described the COVID-19 pandemic as a crisis, while most of the adult group described it with negative emotions. All age groups decided on health as their main concern. Most of the participants considered that there were things to be grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups of adolescents and early and middle adults made their family the thing they were most grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the late adult group placed health as most grateful for. Gratitude was also believed to be a provision for someone to survive and see the positive side of an unpleasant event.


INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world with a very fast spread of cases. This pandemic began at the end of December 2019 in which it was found the case of an older adult who contracted a mysterious virus that was not yet known at the time, a disease that resembles pneumonia, coming from Wuhan Province, China. Moments later, there was an increase in cases due to the virus in China, and then it spread throughout the world, including Indonesia. In Indonesia itself, the first case occurred in residents of Depok City, West Java, who were exposed to Japanese (Ihsanuddin & Erdianto, 2020). By the end of 2021, the total reported cases in Indonesia had exceeded 4.262.540 cases, with 144.088 of them having died (COVID-19 Task Force, 2021).
Cases that increase and spread rapidly have resulted in significant changes in people's lives in various countries. The spread of the virus through contact and droplets in the air makes rules against physical distancing being enforced. People cannot carry out activities that involve large numbers of people in close proximity, especially in areas that have been infected with the virus. As a result, various activities, ranging from work, education, the social community, and other activities, are carried out on a limited basis or through online media (Fitri, 2020).
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the pandemic as the spread of a disease that infects millions of people across various countries and even spreads worldwide (Taylor, 2019). WHO also says that the pandemic is characterized by uncertainty, confusion, and haste. The COVID-19 pandemic has also provided a psychological experience for everyone. A scary and threatening event will have both positive and negative impacts on a person. One of the negative impacts that can occur in a pandemic situation is a trauma for individuals. Trauma is an emotional response to a horrific event, including a pandemic. Panic and rejection are traits that often appear even in the long term (Apa, 2013). Traumatic conditions can even lead to the perception that the future is frightening (Terr, 1991).
However, both threatening and unpleasant events can also have positive impacts. People who have experienced unpleasant things often pay more attention to the meaning of an event (Brady et al., 1999). This search for meaning and purpose is actually the key to healing and creating positive changes. Several studies show that gratitude can strengthen positive aspects in a person. Gratitude is positively related to happiness and the meaning of life, in which the higher the gratitude, the higher the meaning of one's life (Gumilar, 2008;Muthmainnah, 2008).
In general, this study aims to examine the phenomenon of the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently happening in Indonesia from a psychological point of view. This study seeks to understand the psychological experiences of individuals from various age levels dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the negative and positive impacts that emerge during the pandemic.

METHOD
This research was qualitative research with the grounded theory and phenomenology approach. This approach was used because the explanation that would be sought in this study was exploratory and broad. Qualitative research is research that aims to understand phenomena that occur in research participants, such as behavior, perception, motivation, and so on, which are explained thoroughly by being described in the form of words and language in a natural context (Moleong, 2000).
This research consisted of two stages: the grounded theory survey approach and the phenomenological approach. The research data was obtained through online questionnaires as the first stage that was carried out in May 2020. Meanwhile, in the second stage, several participants in the previous stage had filled out the questionnaire. The interviews were conducted online in July and August 2020. A total of 447 people have filled out research questionnaires with details of 180 adolescents, 101 early adults, 96 middle adults, and 70 late adults. Meanwhile, 15 people participated in the interview, consisting of 6 adolescents and 3 people from the early, middle, and late adult categories.
In the first stage, all participants were asked to fill out an open-ended questionnaire by answering 3 questions: 1). Mention one word that describes the current Pandemic situation! Why do you mention that word? 2). What worries you the most in dealing with your current situation? Explain your answer! 3). Do you think there is anything to be grateful for from the current pandemic situation? If yes, what are you grateful for and why?
Participants' responses to these questions were then analyzed using the grounded theory approach, consisting of three coding levels: open coping, axial coding, and selective coding. Furthermore, data collection through interviews in the second stage aims to investigate deeper information regarding individual experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 15 participants selected from the participants who had filled out the questionnaire to participate in the interview to represent each age group. Considering the current pandemic situation, all interviews were conducted online via the Zoom, Google Meet, or WhatsApp applications. The results of the interviews were then analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach.
This research has obtained Ethical Clearance from the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology, UGM (No. 4495/UN1/FPSi.1.3/SD/PT.01.04/2020). Data related to the identity of the participants was deleted during the data analysis process and in the research results. The participants also gave written and verbal consent (voice recording) to participate in this study.

RESULTS
Based on the occupations or activities of the participants in each age group, it was known that almost all the participants of adolescents were students. Then, as many as 32.67% of the participants from the early adult group were students, while some of the others were already working (private employees, ASN, teachers or lecturers, and entrepreneurs), and a few participants with the status of not working or housewives. Furthermore, in the middle adult group, almost all participants have worked with the most jobs of being teachers or lecturers, as many as 32.29%, and others as ASN (civil servants), private employees, and entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, most of the participants in the late adult group were retirees (32.86%), while the rest were still teachers or lecturers, entrepreneurs, housewives, and ASN. Table 1 below shows the gender distribution of the participants of each age group. Based on table 1, it was known that there were more female participants than male participants. There were also more female participants in all age groups: adolescents, early, middle, and late adults.  Table 2 shows the categorization of all participants' answers to the first question, namely "What is one word that describes the current pandemic situation and why do you say that word?". The adolescents mostly described the COVID-19 pandemic as a "crisis" situation. The situation was described as chaos, danger, calamity, and difficulty.
Meanwhile, the group of early, middle, and late adults described the pandemic situation with "negative emotions." Negative emotions were characterized by fear, anxiety, and worry.  Table 3 shows the categories of all participants' responses to the second question, namely " What worries you the most in dealing with the current situation?". The most worrying thing was related to health during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in all age groups. This was indicated by the fear of contracting the virus, mental health conditions, personal health, family, medical personnel, and the risk of death.  Table 4 shows that most participants in each group had things to be grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a total percentage of 81.9% of participants stating that there were things to be grateful for during this COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the percentage of participants with the highest gratitude was shown in order from the highest, starting from the early adults, middle adults, late adults, and adolescents.  Table 5 shows the categories of all participants' responses regarding things to be grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic. The thing that the participants were most grateful for in their adolescence, early adulthood, and middle adulthood was family. This was indicated by the response of gathering with family, spending time with family, and having warm interactions with family. Meanwhile, the participants of the late adult were the most grateful for health. This included feeling grateful that they were still given health and being disciplined in maintaining health and environmental cleanliness.
Besides the information obtained through the questionnaire, which was corroborated by the findings during the interviews, the results of the interviews also found several other important things. The results of interviews with adolescents showed that the thing mentioned a lot was the online learning process. Some participants claimed that they did not feel the effectiveness of online learning. The ineffectiveness of online learning also made the participants worried if the value obtained would decrease. On the other hand, some participants claimed to prefer the online learning process even though it had not been fully running optimally. The online learning process also made other participants feel grateful because they could spend more time interacting with family members who normally had busy schedules.
Meanwhile, the results of interviews with several early adults showed a typical pattern of discussion related to career and work conditions. There were concerns about job opportunities after graduating from college during a pandemic and concerns about the continuity of work amid rampant layoffs. On the other hand, there were participants who were grateful because they still had a permanent and side job during this pandemic. On the participant of middle adults, the thing that was often discussed was related to the transmission of the COVID-19 virus itself. This was because the community around the participants felt less concerned about the pandemic conditions. Moreover, some participants still had to interact directly with the surrounding community considering their roles and work.
The participants from the late adults also showed the depiction of the fear of being infected with the COVID-19. Moreover, one of the participants admitted to having asthma, heart blockage, and cholesterol, which was forced to reduce the intensity of control to not being contracted the virus in the hospital. One of the participants was still active in the office, so he was worried about being infected with the virus. However, the participants also stated that patience and getting closer to the Almighty are the key in dealing with this pandemic condition.

DISCUSSION
This study aims to understand the psychological experiences of individuals from various age levels in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the negative and positive impacts that emerge during the pandemic. The results showed almost the same psychological experiences were felt by individuals from adolescents to the elderly, although there were still some differences in interpreting this pandemic condition.
Health conditions were a major concern for individuals of all ages. This concern was about themselves and the family or other parties who had a high risk, such as health workers. This is understandable because so far, there is no proven effective drug to deal with COVID-19, so it is not clear when this pandemic will end. A pandemic situation characterized by uncertainty, confusion, and haste can cause anxiety (Kanadiya & Sallar, 2011). In studies in several countries, it was also found that this stress and anxiety experienced by adolescents (Islam et al., 2020;Kılınçel et al., 2021), adults (El-Zoghby et al., 2020;Fitzpatrick et al., 2020), and also the elderly (Bergman et al., 2020;Picaza Gorrochategi et al., 2020).
The age difference is a variable that determines how individuals respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is indicated by the various responses and sources of concern from various age groups to the pandemic situation they face after health concerns. Many adolescents who are still in school complain about school and social relationships. In Turkey, research on adolescents also found the same thing (Kılınçel et al., 2021). Schools and friendships are crucial things in an adolescent's life. When they have to study from home and cannot interact directly with their peers, it turns out that this can be a source of stress. Meanwhile, it is more related to work in adulthood, both work patterns at home and termination of employment. According to developmental tasks, this is understandable because the burden of earning a living lies in adulthood. Pandemic conditions that affect economic conditions globally tend to cause job stress and financial stress (El-Zoghby et al., 2020). The results of this study are also in line with the findings of other studies that 4 variables that affect the psychosocial burden of Indonesian society, one of which is age, followed by gender, education, and occupation (Megatsari et al., 2020).
Furthermore, a person's psychological reaction in facing a pandemic can vary. Some people have the resilience to stress, while others feel anxiety and fear when facing a pandemic that leads to stress (Taylor, 2019). Shultz et al. explain that a situation full of fear can lead to mass panic in the form of efforts to save only themselves (Taylor, 2019). In the end, the pattern of human psychological reactions in dealing with pandemic situations is complex, where some people can get up, but others show deep feelings of depression.
There have been major changes after the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways, including (1) the development of a balance between work and being at home, (2) new habits of maintaining physical distance, (3) virtual experiences, (4) the emergence of empathy and solidarity, ( 5) parenting becomes more positive, and (6) humans become more religious (Yuswohady et al., 2020). Some of these changes are also things that the participants of this study are grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family was the most widely referred to as something to be grateful for, including gathering with family, spending time with family, and having warm interactions with family. Apart from family, health and spirituality were also things to be grateful for. With the pandemic, people spend more time at home with their families. They also pay more attention to their health condition and spend more time worshiping.
Gratitude itself, which most people showed, is a positive impact that can be felt in a negative situation. Gratitude is an emotional response to the appreciation for the goodness or benefits received (Vernon et al., 2009). Thus, gratitude will lead a person to other positive attitudes. Gratitude comes from the Latin, namely gratus, which means gratitude, appreciation for goodness. Gratitude can be referred to as attitudes, morals, emotions, personality traits, feelings, motives, and means of coping (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
Therefore, on the other hand, unpleasant and threatening events may have positive impacts. People who have experienced unpleasant things often pay more attention to the meaning of an event (Brady et al., 1999). This search for meaning and purpose is actually the key to healing and creating positive changes. A number of studies show that gratitude can strengthen positive aspects in a person. Gratitude is positively related to happiness and the meaning of life in which the higher the gratitude, the higher the meaning of one's life (Gumilar, 2008;Muthmainnah, 2008). Gratitude is realized by a person in which it is the rational choice to focus more on the pleasures or blessings of life than on the shortcomings. How gratitude can arise begins with the awareness in humans that they have a choice (Emmons & Hill, 2001). Then, humans need contemplation in themselves so that the gratitude that arises is an attitude that is realized and expressed in action.

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
The results of this study support previous findings that not all events that are threatening or unpleasant to humans will have negative impacts. An event that is considered unfavorable can also have positive meaning and impacts. A person's age also influences how a person perceives the current COVID-19 pandemic. This is indicated by the various answers given by the participants from each age group. Furthermore, participants in all age groups stated that there were things to be grateful for during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gratitude is believed to be a driving force for individuals to survive and see the positive side of the pandemic situation they face.
Practically, these findings can be used for practitioners in the social-society field in assisting individuals or communities who are facing or going through an unpleasant event by focusing on things that can cause positive emotions and feelings of gratitude. Besides, the findings of this study also open up opportunities for further research in examining various factors that can reduce the negative impacts that will be experienced and the process of awakening after an unpleasant situation for individuals.