TY - JOUR AU - Zamperini, Adriano AU - Pittella, Antonella AU - Rizzo, Cristina AU - Marangon, Giulia AU - Iacona, Erika AU - Testoni, Ines PY - 2023 DA - 2023/03/10 TI - Trauma and Distress on a Cruise during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Italian and French Tourists JO - OBM Neurobiology SP - 162 VL - 07 IS - 01 AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our daily lives. One of the sectors most affected was tourism and travel – and, more specifically, cruises, given the prolonged time passengers spend with others within the small spaces of the cruise ship. While finding well-organised entertainment opportunities on cruises is possible, emergency conditions may cause panic. On such occasions, reactions can be highly stressful or even traumatic. This research explores the events and emotions experienced by passengers during a cruise ship quarantined for COVID-19. The empirical materials consist of interviews with 15 passengers. The analyses show four thematic areas: fear of contagion, feelings of discrimination, cooperation between passengers and relationship with the crew. The problems during a cruise ship quarantine presented by the passengers in this study reveal the need for psychological preparation for the crew and security personnel. Finally, we suggest that telemedicine and telepsychology are key elements to improve the efficiency of behavioral control on cruise ships and to mitigate the COVID-19 effects on tourists' well-being during a quarantine. SN - 2573-4407 UR - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301162 DO - 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301162 ID - Zamperini2023 ER -