Daily emotional well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has become one of the largest public health crises of our time. Governments have responded by implementing self-isolation and physical distancing measures that have profoundly impacted daily life throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate how people experience the activities, interactions, and settings of their lives during the pandemic. The sample (N = 604) was assessed in Ireland on the 25 March 2020, following the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. We examined within-person variance in emotional well-being and how people spend their time. We found that while most time was spent in the home (74%), time spent outdoors (8%) was associated with markedly raised positive affect and reduced negative emotions. Exercising, going for walks, gardening, pursuing hobbies, and taking care of children were the activities associated with the greatest affective benefits. Home-schooling children and obtaining information about COVID-19 were ranked lowest of all activities in terms of emotional experience. These findings highlight activities that may play a protective role in relation to well-being during the pandemic, the importance of setting limits for exposure to COVID-19-related media coverage, and the need for greater educational supports to facilitate home-schooling during this challenging period.

Extraversion Moderates the Relationship Between the Stringency of COVID-19 Protective Measures and Depressive Symptoms

“…In addition, type of house and living situation could be interesting variables to consider, as people living in a more spacious house or more rural areas might have had more opportunity to organize social gatherings at a safe distance and maintain a high degree of personal space vis-à-vis other household members and, in turn, suffered less from the social consequences of the pandemic. Researching the role of daily time use would be a worthwhile endeavor too, as research conducted during the early days of COVID-19 shows that activities vary drastically in the extent to which they make people happy ( Lades et al, 2020 ). Finally, we believe that studying the role of internet availability and familiarity with virtual communication media could be a fruitful research direction, as these factors could be essential for people to maintain social contacts when facing stringent measures.…”

Environmental and psychological variables influencing reactions to the COVID‐19 outbreak

“…Major health crises and worldwide disasters may have devastating effects on physical and psychological wellbeing (Cohen Silver et al, 2013;Rajkumar, 2020), not to mention the economic impacts they can have on people's lives. Moreover, Lades et al (2020) showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic people's well-being was related to how they were able to spend their time. In Italy, when the virus outbreak started people were still able to leave their homes and meet with friends, two activities that have a positive impact on well-being (Lades, Laffan, Daly, & Delaney, 2020), whereas after the lockdown they had to stay home, and outdoor activities were severely restricted.…”

“…Moreover, Lades et al (2020) showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic people's well-being was related to how they were able to spend their time. In Italy, when the virus outbreak started people were still able to leave their homes and meet with friends, two activities that have a positive impact on well-being (Lades, Laffan, Daly, & Delaney, 2020), whereas after the lockdown they had to stay home, and outdoor activities were severely restricted. As a result, it is important to understand the role that emotion regulation could play in relation to how people reacted to the virus outbreak.…”

The impact of COVID-19 on health systems, mental health and the potential for nursing

“…So far, only compulsory imposed restrictive social measures such as quarantine, physical distancing and school closures appear to be successful in interrupting virus transmission, at least temporarily, in many countries (Brooks et al 2020;Leung et al 2020). Children and adults have been confined to their homes with limited outdoor activities, and the loss of interaction with peers is likely to present a substantial negative impact on mental health and well-being (Dalton et al 2020;Lades et al 2020;Wang et al 2020). Consequently, mental health issues and ability to cope with imposed social restrictions will be an ongoing challenge for families as well as the community in general.…”