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COVID-19 has infected millions of people and upended the lives of most humans on the planet. Researchers from across the psychological sciences have sought to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 in myriad ways, causing an explosion of research that is broad in scope, varied in methods, and challenging to consolidate. Because policy and...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... Therefore, to help governments, businesses, and individuals take action, we offer seven research-grounded recommendations (one urgent, two short-term, and four ongoing) for supporting mental health during the pandemic and beyond (Table 3). These recommendations aim to help people across the spectrum, from mental illness to well-being (see Fig. ...
Context 2
... 1. We call on researchers, governments, and funding bodies to support immediate, largescale research to understand the nature, treatment, and long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental health and the brain (Holmes et al., 2020). Indeed, although this article summarizes the rapidly growing and evolving evidence on COVID-19 and mental health, we do not yet know the duration and long-term impacts of this global challenge. ...
Context 3
... tools may be especially useful during the pandemic because they target both positive and negative emotions, which people report having declined and increased, respectively, through COVID-19 (VanderWeele, 2020;Waters et al., 2021). Thus, these practices could help bolster well-being so that people move from left to right on the mental-health continuum shown in Figure 2. These strategies may be particularly useful because, unlike professional mentalhealth care, these strategies are typically brief, accessible, convenient, self-administered, and nonstigmatizing. ...
Citations
... The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 marked a global increase in distress, such as depressive symptoms (Aknin et al., 2022). The collective significance and ongoing repercussions of this global event has sparked interest in how the impact of the pandemic, like other life-changing events, is remembered. ...
... Our sample included parents of young children who had participated in a prepandemic study with their family and responded to invitations to complete questionnaires when they were in mandatory lockdown. Parents with young children were particularly at risk of increased depressive symptoms as they navigated work, schooling, and childcare isolated at home during lockdowns (e.g., Aknin et al., 2022;Zalewski et al., 2023), and thus constitute a relevant sample for the current aims. Applying contemporary models of accuracy and bias (West & Kenny, 2011), we assess whether memories of depressive symptoms accurately track levels of prior distress (tracking accuracy) and/or are biased by high levels of current depressive symptoms (projection bias) producing an overestimation of the distress experienced at the start of the pandemic (directional bias). ...
The ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic provide an unparalleled context to examine how distressing events are remembered. Prior theory and research suggest that (a) distress during lockdowns may fade and be remembered as less distressing, or remain salient and be remembered as more distressing, than initially experienced and (b) emotional suppression and cognitive reappraisal may predict these memory biases. We test these possibilities by assessing depressive symptoms and emotion regulation during two lockdowns: at the start of the pandemic (Lockdown 2020) and 17 months later (Lockdown 2021) in a sample of parents with young children (N = 272). We assessed tracking accuracy, directional bias, and projection bias in memory of depressive symptoms in Lockdown 2020, and the moderating role of emotion regulation at the time of encoding (Lockdown 2020) and recall (Lockdown 2021). People experiencing more depressive symptoms later in the pandemic (2021) remembered the start of the pandemic (2020) to involve more depressive symptoms than initially experienced (projection bias). People engaging in greater emotional suppression at recall (2021) were less likely to project their current depressive symptoms onto memory of the prior lockdown (lower projection bias) and remembered feeling lower depressive symptoms than initially experienced (underestimation directional bias). By contrast, people engaging in cognitive reappraisal at recall (2021) remembered feeling greater depressive symptoms than they initially experienced (overestimation directional bias). These unexpected results indicate that emotion regulation may shape memory of emotion during real-life challenges differently than patterns observed in lab-based research and may reflect helpful coping with life events.
... ThE PANDEmIc Of Covid-19 affected the mental health and well-being of employees all over the world (Aknin et al 2022;Lange 2021;Robinson et al 2022). In Sweden, the frequency of clinical anxiety disorders increased with an estimated 23 percent over the course of the pandemic (Santomauro et al 2021). ...
... Unlike surveys from other nations, the results do not support the notion of a general increase in work-related anxiety. This is worth noticing in relation to studies demonstrating increasing levels of clinical anxiety during the pandemic (Aknin et al 2022;Lange 2021;Robinson et al 2022). Studies demonstrating increases in work-related anxiety have focused on specific occupations, in particular hospital workers (D'emeh et al 2021; Rodriguez et al 2020), and particular variables such as gender (Özdin & Bayrak Özdin 2020), age (Turna et al 2021) and social class (Huato & Chavez 2021). ...
This cross-sectional study investigates the shifts in anxiety levels among Swedish employees throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with data gathered in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Work-related anxiety was assessed through two metrics: General Work Anxiety (WA) and Work Performance Anxiety (WPA). Overall, there was a decline in both average WA and WPA over the five-year period. However, this trend did not apply uniformly across all social groups. Specifically, WA saw a significant decrease among older men, while it showed an increase among younger women. Additionally, the reduction in WPA was more pronounced among managers than employees during the pandemic. High-income individuals and those with advanced education levels also experienced a greater decrease in WPA. These findings underscore the role of employment conditions in shaping the impact that the pandemic might have had on workers’ mental health.
... Young adults are at risk for concerning mental health symptoms [50,51], especially those undergoing major life transitions like the start of college [52]. Mounting evidence has shown that the mental health of college students was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic [53][54][55], and that the rise in mental health burden has remained high in this population [56]. There has been much discussion about how to address the growing need for mental health support, particularly on college campuses [57]. ...
Consumer wearables have been successful at measuring sleep and may be useful in predicting changes in mental health measures such as stress. A key challenge remains in quantifying the relationship between sleep measures associated with physiologic stress and a user’s experience of stress. Students from a public university enrolled in the Lived Experiences Measured Using Rings Study (LEMURS) provided continuous biometric data and answered weekly surveys during their first semester of college between October-December 2022. We analyzed weekly associations between estimated sleep measures and perceived stress for participants (N = 525). Through mixed-effects regression models, we identified consistent associations between perceived stress scores and average nightly total sleep time (TST), resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiratory rate (ARR). These effects persisted after controlling for gender and week of the semester. Specifically, for every additional hour of TST, the odds of experiencing moderate-to-high stress decreased by 0.617 or by 38.3% ( p <0.01). For each 1 beat per minute increase in RHR, the odds of experiencing moderate-to-high stress increased by 1.036 or by 3.6% ( p <0.01). For each 1 millisecond increase in HRV, the odds of experiencing moderate-to-high stress decreased by 0.988 or by 1.2% ( p <0.05). For each additional breath per minute increase in ARR, the odds of experiencing moderate-to-high stress increased by 1.230 or by 23.0% ( p <0.01). Consistent with previous research, participants who did not identify as male (i.e., female, nonbinary, and transgender participants) had significantly higher self-reported stress throughout the study. The week of the semester was also a significant predictor of stress. Sleep data from wearable devices may help us understand and to better predict stress, a strong signal of the ongoing mental health epidemic among college students.
... Regarding the SI, as shown in Panel B of Table 5, for most of the business verticals and keywords in Table 1, the estimated coefficients tend to be positive, and for Boredom, Sleep, and Loneliness, also highly statistically significant. These results are consistent with the findings in previous studies that suggest that higher policy stringency is associated with higher psychological distress [40][41][42][43]. The effect of the SI on Depression is negative, which is the opposite of the expected sign. ...
The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between the economic activity of small firms and the mental well-being of the population in five Latin American countries in the early stages of the pandemic. We utilize the search volume of certain keywords on Google Trends (GT), such as "boredom," "frustration," "loneliness," "sleep", "anxiety", and "depression", as an indicator of the well-being of the population. By examining the data from Facebook Business Activity Trends, we investigate how social attention reacts to the activity levels of different economic sectors. Increased business activity is generally associated with reduced levels of boredom, loneliness, sleep problems and anxiety. The effect on depression varies by sector, with positive associations concentrated in onsite jobs. In addition, we observe that strict Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) tend to exacerbate feelings of boredom and loneliness, sleep issues, and anxiety. Our findings suggest a strong association between different indicators of psychological well-being and the level of activity in different sectors of the economy.
... Prolonged periods of lockdowns, economic instability, social isolation, increased use of digital devices and exposure to social media, disrupted education, and uncertainty about the future took a toll on the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents. Many reported feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness as they faced the sudden loss of routine and social connections and the strain of remote learning (8). The inability to engage in typical HIGHLIGHTS • State education agencies can collaborate with key partners (e.g., Medicaid, public health, human services, and health care) to advance school mental health strategic planning and alignment, understand and shape the policy environment for school mental health, and braid and blend funding across child-serving sectors. ...
... One of the ways of developing health-oriented leadership might be focused on providing more education for managers in this area. This is also one of the recommendations of the review examining the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health (Aknin et al., 2022) and one of the WHO's suggestions to protect occupational health (2022). ...
... The types of leisure activities also changed, with less time spent outside the house (walking, shopping, caregiving, or meeting friends (Tsouros et al., 2021)), and more time spent watching TV, consuming online media and playing online games (Lee and Tipoe, 2021;Wagner et al., 2021). Changes made to routines and occupations because of the pandemic led to increased feelings of isolation, loneliness and psychological distress (Aknin et al., 2022;Best et al., 2021;Siew et al., 2021). ...
Introduction
COVID-19-related restrictions resulted in changes to time use and occupational participation, impacting individual and collective well-being. This study addressed a knowledge gap concerning the adaptive process during periods of occupational disruption. We explored the experience of occupational disruption and how people managed disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We used a qualitative descriptive approach and interviewed 18 participants of a larger survey study of time use during the COVID-19 pandemic undertaken around a medium-sized city in Canada. Transcript analysis was conducted inductively using conventional content analysis.
Findings
Two overarching themes were constructed during data analysis: The Disruption Experience and Adopting New Habits and Routines. In the face of disruption, participants described a sense of loss and disconnection, and challenges with time management. Establishing new habits and routines required new learning associated with increased time and flexibility, connecting with others and health and wellness.
Conclusion
During changing pandemic restrictions, participants expressed a sense of loss, disconnection and time management challenges associated with occupational disruptions, but also described ways they adapted, improving their health and well-being. Strategies identified through this work may be used to enhance adaptation during disruptions. Future research should explore differences in adaptation, among more diverse populations.
... Benefits to telehealth services include the absence of infection contagion, lack of commute, reduced likelihood of missing appointments, increased flexibility in scheduling, and increased access to treatment (Guinart et al., 2020;Thomas et al., 2021). These are important benefits, as the pandemic has been associated with an increase in psychological distress (Aknin et al., 2022) and corresponding demand for mental health services (Titov et al., 2020). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has required a shift to telehealth services. However, not all patients are similarly satisfied with this shift, with some studies finding that midlife and older adults are less comfortable with telehealth. The current study examined patient satisfaction with a virtual intensive outpatient program (VIOP) for eating disorders (EDs) among 305 adults (ages 18-25, ages 26-39, and ages 40+), and compared adult satisfaction to satisfaction among children/adolescents (n = 33) receiving VIOP treatment between August 2020 and March 2022 from a large ED treatment facility. It was hypothesized that adults aged 40+ would report lower satisfaction than younger age groups. Patients completed several questions regarding satisfaction with treatment upon discharge, including a question about likelihood of recommending the program, which was used to calculate a Net Promoter Score (NPS). The NPS was 33.3 for children/adolescents, 33.3 for 18-25 year-olds, 57.7 for 26-39 year-olds, and 30.9 for the 40+ year age group. NPS of 31-50 = quality services; 51-70 = excellent customer experiences. Satisfaction was high, with no statistically significant differences between age groups after Bonferroni correction. The current study adds to the limited literature on the treatment experiences of midlife adults with EDs.
... A number of studies have examined the impact of Covid restriction on various measures of mental health or well-being. In general, negative effects on mental health were found in the early stages of the pandemic, but much of this impact had abated by the middle of the summer of 2020 [1,2]. In some cases the impact was worst for young adults, particularly women [3]. ...
Background
The Covid pandemic arrived in Ireland on February 29, 2020. In the following weeks various restrictions were introduced to stem the spread of the disease. Anxiety over the spread of the disease and over the restrictions introduced had an adverse effect upon mental health. This study examines the change in mental health for two groups: young adults aged around 23 at the time of onset of Covid (the 1998 cohort) and a sample of principal carers (PCs) of children who were aged 13 at the onset of Covid (the 2008 cohort).
Methods
Data were obtained from the two cohorts of the longitudinal Growing Up In Ireland (GUI) survey. The sample included 1953 young adults (from the 1998 cohort) and 3547 principal carers (from the 2008 cohort). Mental health as measured by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression—8 scale was obtained for the last pre-Covid wave and for the Covid wave (surveyed in December 2020). Observations for which CES-D8 was not available in either pre or post Covid waves were excluded. Post-Covid sampling weights were applied. The change in depression rates was decomposed into a growth and distribution effect using a Shapley decomposition. The socioeconomic gradient of CES-D8 was examined pre and post Covid using concentration indices and a transition matrix was constructed to examine the dynamics of changes in CES-D8 and depression pre and post-Covid.
Results
Relative to the last pre-Covid survey, mental health, as measured by CES-D8 deteriorated for both the young adults of the 1998 cohort and the PCs of the 2008 cohort. For young adults, the deterioration was more pronounced for females. There was no observable socioeconomic gradient for poor mental health amongst young adults, both pre and post Covid. For mothers from the 2008 cohort, a gradient was observed during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period with poorer mental health status for lower-income and less educated mothers. This gradient was less pronounced post-Covid, the levelling-off arising from a greater deterioration in mental health for higher-income and better-educated PCs.
Conclusion
Both observed cohorts showed a significant deterioration in mental health post Covid. For young adults the effect was significantly more pronounced among females and this is consistent with generally poorer mental health amongst females in this age group. There was little or no socioeconomic gradient observed for young adults, but the gradient became more shallow for principal carers. Care must be taken in terms of drawing policy implications from this study as the Covid-19 pandemic was arguably a unique event, even allowing for the likelihood of future pandemics. However, the study highlights the vulnerability of young adults, especially females, to the mental health effects arising from major public health shocks.
... As of the end of 2022, there were approximately 0.73 billion confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in more than 6 million deaths worldwide (World Health Organization, 2022). The unpredictability and uncertainty of the pandemic itself, along with the policy restrictions and economic recession, may have caused great mental health consequences amongst the global population (Ahmed et al., 2023;Aknin et al., 2022;Moreno et al., 2020). Estimates from a Global Burden of Diseases study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic led to 2 Chai et al. ...
Aims
Population-wide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may create barriers to mental health diagnosis. This study aims to examine changes in the number of incident cases and the incidence rates of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
By using electronic health records from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the UK and claims data from the US, this study conducted interrupted time-series analyses to compare the monthly incident cases and the incidence of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol misuse or dependence, substance misuse or dependence, bipolar disorders, personality disorders and psychoses diagnoses before (January 2017 to February 2020) and after (April 2020 to the latest available date of each database [up to November 2021]) the introduction of COVID-related restrictions.
Results
A total of 629,712,954 individuals were enrolled across nine databases. Following the introduction of restrictions, an immediate decline was observed in the number of incident cases of all mental health diagnoses in the US (rate ratios (RRs) ranged from 0.005 to 0.677) and in the incidence of all conditions in France, Germany, Italy and the US (RRs ranged from 0.002 to 0.422). In the UK, significant reductions were only observed in common mental illnesses. The number of incident cases and the incidence began to return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels in most countries from mid-2020 through 2021.
Conclusions
Healthcare providers should be prepared to deliver service adaptations to mitigate burdens directly or indirectly caused by delays in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.
