A rapid review of home-based activities that can promote mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures such as isolation, quarantine, and social distancing are needed. Some of these measures can adversely affect mental health. Activities that can be performed at home may mitigate these consequences and improve overall mental well-being. In this study, home-based activities that have potential beneficial effects on mental health were examined. Methods A rapid review was conducted based on a search of the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PyscINFO, Global Health, epistemonikos.org, covid19reviews.org, and eppi.ioe.ac.uk/covid19_map_v13.html. Eligible studies include randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies published between 1/1/2000 and 28/05/2020 and that examined the impact of various activities on mental health outcomes in low-resource settings and contexts that lead to social isolation. Studies of activities that require mental health professionals or that could not be done at home were excluded. Two review authors performed title/abstract screening. At the full-text review stage, 25% of the potentially eligible studies were reviewed in full by two review authors; the rest were reviewed by one review author. Risk of bias assessment and data extraction were performed by one review author and checked by a second review author. The main outcome assessed was change or differences in mental health as expressed in Cohen’s d; analysis was conducted following the synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines (SWiM). PROSPERO registration: CRD42020186082. Results Of 1,236 unique records identified, 160 were reviewed in full, resulting in 16 included studies. The included studies reported on the beneficial effects of exercise, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and listening to relaxing music. One study reported on the association between solitary religious activities and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. While most of the included studies examined activities in group settings, particularly among individuals in prisons, the activities were described as something that can be performed at home and alone. All included studies were assessed to be at risk of bias in one or more of the bias domains examined. Conclusions There is some evidence that certain home-based activities can promote mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines are needed to help optimize benefits while minimizing potential risks when performing these activities.

The use of mental health promotion strategies by nurses to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression during the COVID-19 outbreak: A prospective cohort study

“…These findings are in line with other studies showing that during the COVID-19 outbreak there was a large decrease in physical activity with associations between the decrease in physical activity and worse mental health ( Callow et al, 2020 ; Duncan et al, 2020 ; Meyer et al, 2020 ; Pieh et al, 2020 ). Moreover, a review concluded that physical activities and relaxation activities were beneficial to mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak ( Puyat et al, 2020 ). Also, concerning depression, the participants who sometimes used “recreational activities” had fewer depression symptoms than those who never or rarely used it.…”

Music Listening in Times of COVID-19 Outbreak: A Brazilian Study

“…One possibility is that music listening has been used more frequently to improve affective states. In fact, music listening has been established as one of the means to alleviate the impact of social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic since it reduces loneliness and is a means of distraction (Rodero, 2020), thus increasing mental wellness (Puyat et al, 2020).…”

Role of Ayurveda and Yoga-Based lifestyle in the COVID-19 pandemic – A narrative review

“…Out of these 29 articles, 18 articles were on Yoga and COVID-19. Out of 18 articles, 9 were review articles discussing the role of yoga in the pandemic [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], 4 were letters to editor and short communications [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], 2 were research protocols of randomized controlled trials, first one to study the efficacy of online Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) for frontline hospital staff [ 32 ] and the other to examine the effect of meditation app on anxiety and wellbeing [ 33 ], 2 were cross-sectional observational studies [ 34 , 35 ], 2 articles were on cancer care during pandemic [ 36 , 37 ], 1 on modifications in tele-training and tele-assessment in alternative therapies for multiple sclerosis during COVID-19 pandemic [ 38 ]. Out of 18 articles, 3 articles exclusively focused on the role of yoga in elderly [ 25 , 29 , 30 ] and 2 were related to maternal health during the pandemic times [ 24 , 26 ].…”