Page 81 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Therapeutic resilience during COVID-19

and cultural resilience during the traumatic first wave of The second phase began with the easing of lockdown
the COVID-19 outbreak (Farooq & Quadri, 2020). restrictions in Pakistan from May to October 2020. During
As the third-largest city in Pakistan, Faisalabad is this period, in-person focus group discussions were
located in the middle Punjab area. Often referred to as the conducted to deepen the insights obtained from the online
“Manchester of Pakistan,” the city features an established interviews. A total of three focus group discussions, each
textile industry, with a population of more than 3.2 million consisting of seven to nine participants, were conducted,
(Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2017). The city also functions allowing the opportunity to explore the participants’
as an essential industrial hub, while exhibiting urban-rural perspectives in a face-to-face setting.
disparities that greatly influence social behaviors and Data collection predominantly occurred in Punjabi
access to healthcare services. and Urdu, the primary languages in Faisalabad. This
The Majhi dialect of Punjabi is the primary language researcher (proficient in both languages) transcribed
in Faisalabad, while Urdu is the national language the interviews into English for analysis. The quantitative
commonly used in educational and professional settings. data were analyzed using Excel to ascertain the frequency
Meanwhile, English is extensively utilized in corporate distribution, while qualitative data were systematically
and formal environments (Shackle, 1976). As for the city’s organized into thematic categories for a more
healthcare infrastructure, it includes notable government comprehensive analysis (Table 1). In addition, succinct
hospitals, such as Allied Hospital, the Faisalabad Institute dialogic story vignettes were created to illustrate how
of Cardiology, and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, the participants responded to COVID-19, emphasizing
along with a wide range of private facilities. Nevertheless, the interplay between reasoning, beliefs, facts, rumors,
the healthcare system faces ongoing challenges, especially conspiracy theories, debates, and religious perspectives
in the provision of services to low-income populations. within the context of the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Faisalabad experienced
significant difficulties, due to the scarcity of healthcare Table 1. Demographic attributes of the participants
facilities (with intensive care units at full capacity),
limited essential supplies, and insufficient testing. The Characteristics Percentage (N=321)
socioeconomic impact of the pandemic also heightened Age
vulnerabilities, especially among the underprivileged, 15 – 25 years 46
highlighting the difficulties of healthcare access in this 25 – 35 years 37
growing urban area (Nasir et al., 2024). 35 – 45 years 10
Above 45 years 7
2.1. Data collection and sampling methods Gender
In this study, this researcher employed purposive random Male 51
sampling to select the interlocutors from Faisalabad, whose Female 49
insights regarding COVID-19 served as the primary data Household monthly income
source. The data collection process was carried out in two <20,000 PKR/89.7 US$ 32
distinct phases: (1) the initial phase, which was entirely 20,000 – 40,000 PKR/89.178.14 US$ 21
conducted online, due to the lockdowns of the pandemic; 40,000 – 60,000 PKR/178.14 – 267.21 US$ 13
and (2) the second phase, which involved in-person focus Above 60,000 PKR/267.21 US$ 34
group discussions after the restrictions were eased. The Family structure
details of each phase are as follows. Nuclear 49
Joint 51
The initial phase, which occurred from February 2020
to October 2020, included 321 online interviews, which was Household location
a necessary adaptation due to the COVID-19 restrictions City 66
Town
6
and lockdown measures in place. Before conducting the Village 28
interviews, a preliminary survey was distributed, after Education
which online discussions were recorded. Subsequently,
invitations for interviews were issued to the individuals More than 16 years of education 18
16 years of education
57
who expressed an interest in participating. Initially, we 14 years of education 13
reached code saturation with 56 interviews, but additional 12 years of education 7
interviews were conducted to obtain a more comprehensive 10 years of education 3
understanding of the participants’ perspectives. <10 years of education 2

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 75 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4109