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Contested illness and communication: Positioning long Covid in online discussion forums
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Contested illness and communication: Positioning long Covid in online discussion forums

Sally Sargeant, Sarah Wilkinson, Mimirose Lorraway and Suzanne McDonald
Journal of health psychology, Vol.First online
13/11/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053251389517
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Contested illness and communicationView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open

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Abstract

long COVID sick role theory positioning theory online forums contested illness
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially acknowledged long COVID as a post COVID-19 condition in 2021. Emerging research shows that long COVID may be considered a contested illness due to unknown causal mechanisms, diagnostic uncertainty, poor recovery/treatment outcomes and people reporting illness dismissal experiences when seeking healthcare. Informed by the sick role and positioning theories, this study explored people’s experiences of seeking healthcare for long COVID by examining posts in two online forums (Mayo Clinic Connect and Reddit, from June and July 2023). Template analysis helped to identify12 forum threads containing a total of 305 posts. Inductive thematic analysis of posts identified three themes: (a) ‘The concept of time’, (b) ‘The importance of symptom legitimacy’, and (c) ‘Responding to diagnostic dismissal’. Healthcare professionals are critical in validating the patient experience without a formal long COVID diagnosis, and in supporting long COVID recovery needs by acknowledging heterogeneity and diagnostic difficulties.

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