2.2.2. Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic
death, ill
VIRUS
Women with SCI participating in the study were given the following introduction to the COVID-19 question: “We know that COVID-19 can affect nearly every aspect of people’s lives. Some become ill themselves or their family members become infected with the virus. Some experience isolation associated with social distancing. Many experience losses related to the death of loved ones, financial hardship, or difficulty accessing healthcare and maintaining personal assistance. As a result, people may experience other physical and emotional health problems. We have, however, also heard from those who say they appreciate the time to connect with others electronically or focus on activities or hobbies. Because these COVID-related experiences can affect your responses to some of our survey questions, we thought it was important to have some information about the extent to which COVID-19 has affected you”. This statement was followed by one open-ended question, “Please tell us how COVID-19 has affected you and your life”. Responses to this statement were independently entered by each participant in their own words.