Mechanisms of COVID-19 Mental Health Burden

Abstract

<p>New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020 was among the world's most stringent. Similar to other countries, New Zealand's lockdown occurred amidst pervasive health and economic uncertainties. However, New Zealanders experienced comparatively less psychological distress. To test theories of pandemic distress mitigation, we use national longitudinal responses with pre-COVID-19 baselines and systematically quantify psychological distress trajectories within the same individuals during the lockdown (pre-COVID-19 = 2018/2019; stringent-lockdown = March/April 2020; N = 940). Most distress indicators were minimally elevated. However, there was a three-fold increase in feelings of worthlessness. Neither satisfaction with the government, nor business-satisfaction, nor a sense of neighbourhood community were effective distress defences. Perceived social-belonging and health-satisfaction mitigated feelings of worthlessness. A silver lining was a relief from feelings of effort, which social-belonging fostered. That social-belonging and health satisfaction could quell serious distress among those low in government confidence, low in business satisfaction, and low neighbourhood community proves that distress mitigation is possible without shifting a population's general political, economic, and civic attitudes. Protection of income and containment of infectious disease threat reduces mental health burdens. Though feelings of worthlessness surge during lockdown, such feelings attenuate from interpersonal belonging with people one already knows.</p>

COVID‐19 lockdown frees wildlife to roam but increases poaching threats in Nepal

“…To contain the spread of the new virus, many countries around the world instituted a lockdown, a restrictive stay-at-home policy. Lockdowns contributed to an improvement in the quality of air, cleaner rivers, less noise pollution, undisturbed natural habitats, and calmer wildlife (Bulbulia et al, 2020;Rutz et al, 2020). Rutz et al (2020) termed this effect the "Anthropause" or "the Great Pause.…”