Measuring Pandemic and Lockdown Impacts on Wellbeing.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Grimes A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9115420 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Measuring Pandemic and Lockdown Impacts on Wellbeing.
The Review of income and wealth 20220422 2
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand's official statistical agency (Stats NZ) moved quickly to supplement the quarterly Household Labour Force Survey with wellbeing measures from the General Social Survey. The first supplement (June 2020) began toward the end of a restrictive national lockdown. Subsequent quarterly surveys continued through a second lockdown for the Auckland region, enabling tests of regional lockdown impacts. Survey measures include questions on life satisfactio ...[more]
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Project description:In 2020, in the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Aotearoa New Zealand consistently maintained stringent public health measures including stay-at-home lockdowns and distancing responses. Considering the widespread disruption to social functioning caused by the pandemic, this paper aimed to explore environmental and social factors that influenced the wellbeing of individuals during the first lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our mixed-methods study involved a survey (n = 1010) and semi-structured interviews of a subset of surveyed individuals undertaken at the tail end of the first 2020 lockdown. Survey participants were recruited through social media-driven snowball sampling, less than 50% were aged under 45 years and 85% identified as female. Of those interviewed, 63% identified as female. Qualitative interview findings and open-ended survey results were analysed thematically. Participants described a variety of factors influencing wellbeing, largely related to the community and household; physical, behavioural, and lifestyle factors; access to health services; and social and economic foundations. While much of the focus of COVID-19 recovery was on reversing the economic and physical toll of the pandemic, our findings emphasise the need to empower individuals, families, and communities to mitigate the pandemic's negative implications on wellbeing.
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Project description:With the increasing importance of the internet to our everyday lives, questions are rightly being asked about how its' use affects our wellbeing. It is important to be able to effectively measure the effects of the online context, as it allows us to assess the impact of specific online contexts on wellbeing that may not apply to offline wellbeing. This paper describes a scoping review of English language, peer-reviewed articles published in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsychInfo between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2019 to identify what measures are used to assess subjective wellbeing and in particular to identify any measures used in the online context. Two hundred forty studies were identified; 160 studies were removed by abstract screening, and 17 studies were removed by full-text screening, leaving 63 included studies. Fifty-six subjective wellbeing scales were identified with 18 excluded and 38 included for further analysis. Only one study was identified researching online wellbeing, and no specific online wellbeing scale was found. Therefore, common features of the existing scales, such as the number and type of questions, are compared to offer recommendations for building an online wellbeing scale. Such a scale is recommended to be between 3 and 20 questions, using mainly 5-point Likert or Likert-like scales to measure at least positive and negative affect, and ideally life satisfaction, and to use mainly subjective evaluation. Further research is needed to establish how these findings for the offline world effectively translate into an online measure of wellbeing.
| S-EPMC8006413 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAs of the present, the twenty-first century is experiencing what may be one of its most devastating events, in respect to infected and dead people by the virus. Now known to the world as COVID-19, the devastating disease of what has become a pandemic started its spread from Wuhan, China and swiftly engulfed the whole world with almost 11 million cases, in a span of around six months. It has not only increased the global burden of disease but has heavily dented many social institutions, including education.MethodsThis study investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures of lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing have affected students. We look specifically into the effects on individuals' mental health, that is, the stress and anxiety levels of college and university students using the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS).ResultsAmong 494 respondents, 61% were females, and the majority (77.3%) of the students were in the age group of 19-25 years. Among the respondents, 125 (25.3%), 45 (9.1%) and 34 (6.9%) experienced minimal to moderate, severe, and most extreme levels of anxiety, respectively. The variables of gender, age and year of study were significant at the 0.25 level by univariate analyses. Nevertheless, the ordinal regression indicates that only gender was significant. The odds of a female student being more anxious are higher compared to a male student (OR = 1.779, 95% CI [1.202-2.634], P = 0.004). The most prominent stressors attained from the qualitative feedback from the Pakistani students are associated with online teaching, concerns about their academic performance and completion of the current semester, uncertainty related to exam dates, and the status of the following semester.ConclusionsThis study will add to the existing body of literature on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social and psychological health of students. The study outcomes will provide basic data for further applied and action research and a framework for universities and policy makers in Pakistan and the neighboring countries in the region with the same cultural contexts. Thus, relevant health interventions can be designed for better mental health and educational attainments of students from higher educational institutions. This pathological pandemic may well lead to another pandemic of mental and behavioral illness. All stakeholders should join force regardless of pre-existing differences and inequalities to ensure the well-being of future generations, specifically students from higher educational institutions. The long-lasting impacts and the aftermath of this pandemic will unquestionably need further and future investigations. Keywords: Anxiety, students, mental health, COVID-19, Pakistan.
| S-EPMC7866897 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo investigate the impact of the SAR-Cov-2 pandemic and lockdown on individuals with bipolar disorder in comparison to healthy controls.MethodsA longitudinal study of 560 participants including 147 healthy controls was conducted between April 30 and May 30, 2020 during a state-wide lockdown. Bi-weekly measures included the Coronavirus Impact Scale, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Patient Health Questionnaire, 9-item, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, 7-item. Generalized estimating equations method was used to examine the longitudinal change of the measures within the lockdown and the change from pre-pandemic period to pandemic period.ResultsAll participants reported an impact of lockdown. Individuals with bipolar disorder reported greater impact from the stay-at-home orders with disruptions in routines, income/employment, social support and pandemic related stress. While these measures improved over time, healthy controls recovered quicker and with greater magnitude than persons with bipolar disorder. Comparing mood symptom severity measures in mid-March through May 2020 to the same time window in 2015-2019 (pre- verses post-pandemic), there were no significant differences among individuals with bipolar disorder, whereas healthy controls showed a significant, albeit transient, increase in mood symptoms.ConclusionEveryone was impacted by the SARs-CoV pandemic; however, those with bipolar disorder experienced more life impacting changes from the stay-at-home orders vs healthy controls. These disruptions improved over time but much more slowly than healthy controls. Pre- vs post-pandemic comparisons show a modest but significant increase in mood severity in the healthy controls which was not observed in those with bipolar disorder.
| S-EPMC9754803 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Changes to wellbeing in a community-based sample of 638 adults with non-malignant chronic pain were assessed during a period of mandated lockdown measures in the UK to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants completed an online survey pre-lockdown and were followed up during lockdown. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that decreased ability to self-manage pain, restricted access to healthcare and increased dependence on others were associated with negative wellbeing outcomes related to sleep, anxiety and depression. Essential but non-urgent services are required during periods of lockdown to maintain independence and self-management in order to preserve wellbeing in this population.
| S-EPMC8978477 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' have sustained their cultural practices for over 60,000 years which fundamentally impacts their health and wellbeing. Recent literature emphasizes cultural connection as a contributor to good public health, yet the mechanisms through which cultural engagement promotes health and wellbeing remain underexplored. This study investigates the health and wellbeing outcomes associated with Aboriginal peoples' participation in cultural camps in New South Wales (Australia), focusing on the role of cultural determinants of health.MethodsThis cohort study, part of the larger Gaawaadhi Gadudha Research Collaborative, examines the impact of camp attendance on health indicators among Aboriginal adults. Participants (N = 43) completed surveys assessing individual cultural health, access to cultural resources, resilience, and health-related quality of life pre and post camp. Paired-samples t-tests and Wilcoxon related samples signed-rank tests were employed to analyze changes.FindingsParticipants reported high engagement in cultural activities and positive experiences at camps. Post-camp responses indicated significant improvements in cultural health, including increased pride in cultural identity, knowledge of traditions, and connections to Country and community. However, measures of resilience and health-related quality of life showed no reliable changes.InterpretationThe findings suggest that camps play a crucial role in enhancing cultural health among Aboriginal peoples, reinforcing the importance of knowledge of cultural determinants of health. This study underscores the need for further research to explore the long-term impacts of cultural engagement on health and wellbeing and highlights the potential of cultural camps as a model for health promotion initiatives within Aboriginal communities.FundingThis study was funded by the Australian Government's Medical Research Future Fund (MRF2009522).
| S-EPMC11632748 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic and its mobility restrictions have been an external shock, influencing mental wellbeing. However, does risk exposure to COVID-19 affect the mental wellbeing effect of lockdowns? This paper examines the 'welcomed lockdown' hypothesis, namely the extent to which there is a level of risk where mobility restrictions are not a hindrance to mental wellbeing. We exploit the differential timing of exposure the pandemic, and the different stringency of lockdown policies across European countries and we focus on the effects on two mental health conditions, namely anxiety and depression. We study whether differences in the individual symptoms of anxiety and depression are explained by the combination of pandemic mortality and stringency of lockdown. We draw on an event study approach, complemented with a Difference-in-Difference (DiD), and Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD). Our estimates suggest an average increase in depression (3.95%) and anxiety (10%) symptoms relative to the mean level on the day that lockdown took effect. However, such effects are wiped out when a country's exhibits high mortality ('pandemic category 5'). Hence, we conclude that in an environment of high mortality, lockdowns no longer give rise to a reduction in mental wellbeing consistent with the 'welcome lockdown' hypothesis.
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Project description:ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions are associated with adverse psychological impacts but an assessment of positive wellbeing is required to understand the overall impacts of the pandemic.MethodsThe NZ Lockdown Psychological Distress Survey is an on-line cross-sectional survey of 3487 New Zealanders undertaken during a strict lockdown for COVID-19. The lockdown extended from 25 March 2020 to 28 April 2020 and the survey was undertaken between 15 April 2020 and 27 April 2020. The survey measured excellent wellbeing categorised by a WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) score ≥22. The survey also contained demographic and pre-lockdown questions, subjective and objective lockdown experiences, and questions on alcohol use. The proportion of participants with excellent wellbeing is reported with multivariate analysis examining the relative importance of individual factors associated with excellent wellbeing.ResultsApproximately 9% of the overall sample (303 participants) reported excellent wellbeing during the New Zealand lockdown. In the multivariable analysis, excellent wellbeing status was positively associated with increasing age (p<0.001), male gender (p = 0.044), Māori and Asian ethnicity (p = 0.008), and lower levels of education (certificate/diploma level qualification or less) (p<0.001). Excellent wellbeing was negatively associated with smoking (p = 0.001), poor physical (p<0.001) and mental health (p = 0.002), and previous trauma (p = 0.033).ConclusionNine percent of New Zealanders reported excellent wellbeing during severe COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Demographic and broader health factors predicted excellent wellbeing status. An understanding of these factors may help to enhance wellbeing during any future lockdowns.
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Project description:IntroductionAdolescence is a key period of vulnerability for poor mental health as the brain is still developing and may be more sensitive to the negative impacts of stress and adversity. Unfortunately, few measures comprehensively assess wellbeing in adolescents.MethodsThe 26-item COMPAS-W Wellbeing Scale for adults was validated in a sample of 1,078 adolescents aged 13-17 years old (51.67% male, 79.13% non-clinical vs 20.87% psychiatric or developmental clinical cases). The six COMPAS-W sub-scales and total scale were examined in this sample using second-order confirmatory factor analysis, and psychometric testing.ResultsThe 23-item COMPAS-W demonstrated the best fit for this sample according to goodness-of-fit indices (χ 2 (220, 1078) = 1439.395, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.893, TLI = 0.877, RMSEA = 0.070, SRMR = 0.095). Internal reliability for the confirmed 23-item COMPAS-W model was run for the total scale (α = 0.912) and sub-scales (Composure, α = 0.735; Own-worth, α = 0.601; Mastery, α = 0.757; Positivity, α = 0.721; Achievement, α = 0.827; and Satisfaction, α = 0.867). Test-retest reliability over 6 weeks was also good for the total scale at r = 0.845 and the sub-scales: Composure (r = 0.754), Own-worth (r = 0.743), Mastery (r = 0.715), Positivity (r = 0.750), Achievement (r = 0.750), and Satisfaction (r = 0.812). Compared with non-clinical participants' wellbeing (M = 90.375, SE = 0.400), those with clinical diagnoses reported lower wellbeing, both for those with developmental diagnoses (M = 85.088, SE = 1.188), or psychiatric diagnoses (M = 78.189, SE = 1.758), or combined developmental and psychiatric diagnoses (M = 77.079, SE = 2.116). Yet, when wellbeing category scores were considered by diagnosis group, both non-clinical and clinical groups demonstrated incidence across all three categories of languishing, moderate and flourishing wellbeing, in support of the dual-continua model of mental health. On average, younger adolescents' (13-14 years) wellbeing did not differ from older adolescents' (15-17 years) wellbeing; however, for sex, males scored 1.731 points significantly higher in wellbeing compared with females (p = 0.028); and American participants scored 3.042 points significantly higher in wellbeing compared with Australian participants (p < 0.001).DiscussionIn conclusion, the 23-item COMPAS-W is a reliable measure of wellbeing for adolescents, both for those with and without developmental and psychiatric diagnoses.
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Project description:The pathways through which the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted population mental health are potentially gendered. Little research has explored these pathways in low- and middle-income country contexts, such as in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where socioeconomic roles are highly gendered. To address this gap, we examine the relationships between pandemic-related socioeconomic changes and subjective wellbeing in the MENA region. Our core hypothesis is that the COVID-19 pandemic affected men and women's subjective wellbeing differently in part because these effects were mediated by gendered socioeconomic roles. We exploit multiple waves of longitudinal, nationally-representative phone survey data across Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. The data were collected between November 2020 and August 2021 and include 32,296 observations of 20,256 unique individuals. Mental health is measured through the WHO-5 subjective wellbeing scale. Our key independent variables capture pandemic-related employment loss, income loss, experience of limitations on food access, enrollment of children in alternative schooling modalities, and receipt of formal and informal transfers. We find significantly worse subjective wellbeing for women in Egypt and Morocco during the pandemic, but not the three other countries. There were negative associations between employment and income loss during the pandemic and subjective wellbeing, but not gender-differentiated ones. In contrast, high levels of limitations on food access were associated with worse mental health for men than women. Receipt of transfers generally did not have any association with subjective wellbeing. Further research is needed into how social assistance programs implemented in response to pandemics may be designed so as to address the negative mental health consequences of such events.
| S-EPMC10231778 | biostudies-literature