Women's Experiences of Symptoms of Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Illness During the Pandemic

Objective: To explore experiences of symptoms of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 illness among women using the CovidWatcher mobile citizen science app. Design: Convergent parallel mixed -methods design. Participants: Twenty-eight self -identified women consented for follow-up after using CovidWatcher. Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 83 years old. Methods: We collected data via semistructured, virtual interviews and surveys: the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey and Patient -Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures. We used directed content analysis to develop codes, categories, themes, and subthemes from the qualitative data and summarized survey data with descriptive statistics. Results: We derived five themes related to symptom experiences: (a) Physical Symptoms, (b) Mental Health Symptoms, (c) Symptom Intensity, (d) Symptom Burden, and (e) Symptom Trajectories. Subthemes reflected more nuanced experiences of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 disease. For those without COVID-19, anxiety and mental health symptoms were still present. Of those who attested to one of the PROMISmeasured symptoms, all but one had at least mild severity in one of their reported symptoms. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the cross -cutting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals who identify as women. Future research and clinical practice guidelines should focus on alleviating physical and mental health symptoms related to the ongoing pandemic, regardless of COVID-19 diagnosis. Furthermore, clinicians should consider how patients can use symptom reconciliation apps and tracking systems.