Fear and Challenging Behaviour: A Phenomenological‐Hermeneutic Study of Public Mass Shooting Attacks During the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Thailand

TL;DR

This study explores the experiences of Thai survivors of mass shootings during the pandemic, highlighting their trauma and the need for holistic care.

Contribution

The study introduces five interpretive themes that reveal the psychological and social impacts of mass shootings amid the pandemic.

Findings

Five themes emerged: fear, trauma, coping rituals, and the need for attuned care.

Survivors' narratives emphasize the importance of trauma-informed nursing care.

The study underscores the complex interplay of psychological and social adaptation.

Abstract

To explore the lived experiences of Thai participants of public mass shooting during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

A phenomenographic research approach was used.

Fifteen participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through dialogical interviews and analysed using thematic analysis within a Heideggerian interpretive framework. The study adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).

Through a hermeneutic lens, five interpretive themes were identified: dwelling in the shadow of threat, bearing witness to collective rupture, embodied echoes of trauma, grounding the self through everyday rituals and yearning for attuned care. These themes illuminate survivors' meaning‐making amid dual crises and reflect the complex interplay of somatic, psychological and social adaptation.

The narratives of survivors underscore the urgent need for trauma‐informed, relationally grounded nursing care in the aftermath of mass shooting incidents. The five emergent themes—ranging from embodied fear to the yearning for attuned care—highlight the complex interplay of psychological, social and existential dimensions of trauma. These findings emphasise the importance of holistic, context‐sensitive interventions that not only validate survivors' emotional experiences but also foster adaptive coping and social reintegration. By recognising the embodied nature of fear and addressing survivors' multifaceted needs, healthcare professionals can play a pivotal role in facilitating recovery and promoting long‐term well‐being.

Fifteen individuals with firsthand experience of mass shootings during the COVID‐19 pandemic contributed personal narratives that informed the study's thematic analysis and nursing implications.

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