The impact of COVID-19 lockdown stringency on loneliness in five European countries.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

The coronavirus pandemic has forced governments to implement a variety of different dynamic lockdown-stringency strategies in the last two years. Extensive lockdown periods could have potential unintended consequences on mental health, at least for at-risk groups.

Objective

We present novel evidence on the heterogeneous direct and indirect effects of lockdown-stringency measures on individuals' perception of social isolation (i.e. loneliness) using panel data from five European countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden), which tracks changes in both in-person and remote social interactions between May 2020 and March 2021.

Method

We combine data from the COME-HERE panel survey (University of Luxembourg) and the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tr

SUBMITTER: Caro JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9617690 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature