Meaningful activities during COVID-19 lockdown and association with mental health in Belgian adults

Abstract

Background The spread of COVID-19 has affected people’s daily lives, and the lockdown may have led to a disruption of daily activities and a decrease of people’s mental health. Aim To identify correlates of adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium and to assess the role of meaningful activities in particular. Methods A cross-sectional web survey for assessing mental health (General Health Questionnaire), resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), meaning in activities (Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey), and demographics was conducted during the first Belgian lockdown between April 24 and May 4, 2020. The lockdown consisted of closing schools, non-essential shops, and recreational settings, employees worked from home or were technically unemployed, and it was forbidden to undertake social activities. Every adult who had access to the internet and lived in Belgium could participate in the survey; respondents were recruited online through social media and e-mails. Hierarchical linear regression was used to identify key correlates. Results Participants (N = 1781) reported low mental health (M = 14.85/36). In total, 42.4% of the variance in mental health could be explained by variables such as gender, having children, living space, marital status, health condition, and resilience (β = −.33). Loss of meaningful activities was strongly related to mental health (β = −.36) and explained 9% incremental variance (R2 change = .092, p < .001) above control variables. Conclusions The extent of performing meaningful activities during the COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium was positively related to adults’ mental health. Insights from this study can be taken into account during future lockdown measures in case of pandemics.

Routines, Time Dedication and Habit Changes in Spanish Homes during the COVID-19 Lockdown. A Large Cross-Sectional Survey

“…As for women teleworkers, who have increased during confinement in order to be able to attend to all these roles [7], unequal results are reported in terms of productivity during this period. However, according to the Ellen et al study, having meaningful goals or activities, whether imposed or selfdetermined, may have helped to develop greater resilience and engagement in the face of such obligations, which was positive for balancing mental health [52]. Nevertheless, this balance could easily be blurred by the uncertainty of the circumstances, which may have caused psychological disturbances and loss of well-being [53].…”

Changes in Mental Health Among People with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative and Quantitative Perspectives

“…The results of this study support previous findings in the literature, using a variety of methods, about reasons why PWH have experienced changes in mental health. For example, participants reported worrying about COVID-19 [23,38,39], not trusting information about COVID-19 or following preventive protocols [40,41], reduced access to healthcare [19,42], worsening of psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression [1,38,42,43], isolation and a lack of social support [39,[44][45][46], not being able to do regular and meaningful activities [47,48], worrying about themselves or loved ones [21,49], and financial difficulties [19,50] as reasons why they experienced worsened mental health, all of which have been tied in the literature to the COVID-19 pandemic among both the general population and PWH. Of note, while some issues noted in the literature and by the PWH in this study might have unique causes or consequences for PWH such as reduced viral suppression, the concerns cited most often by PWH in this study apply to the general population as well.…”

Pleasant Activities among Young Adults and Their Lack during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Physical disability was in the study of [10] associated with greater depressive symptoms and lower positive affect and meaning in life through reduced frequency of pleasant activities. The extent of performing the meaningful activities during COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium was positively related to adults´mental health [11].…”

“…Also, some kind of indication in mental health like depressive symptoms [12] in residents of the United States and Japan, depression, functionality, and sociodemographic variables [13] studied in Brazil, possible increase in mental health illnesses in the United States as a consequence of the pandemic [14], loss of meaningful activities was strongly related to mental health [11]. The exercise as a coping strategy in the challenges of distancing during pandemic and social isolation did not bring the differences between those individuals who exercised and those who did not [4].…”