Psychological impact of Covid-19 lockdown in India: Different strokes for different folks

Abstract

The psychological impact of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic are widely documented. In India, a family-centric society with a high population density and extreme social stratification, the impact of the lockdown might vary across diverse social groups. However, the patterning in the psychological impact of the lockdown among sexual minorities and persons known to be at higher risk of contracting Covid-19 is not known in the Indian context. We used mixed methods (online survey, n=282 and in-depth interviews, n=14) to investigate whether the psychological impact of the lockdown was different across these groups of Indian adults. We fitted linear and logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic covariates. Thematic analysis helped us identify emergent themes in our qualitative narratives. Anxiety was found to be higher among sexual minorities (β=2.44, CI: 0.58, 4.31), high-risk group (β=2.20, CI:0.36, 4.05), and those with history of depression/loneliness (β=3.89, CI:2.34, 5.44). Addiction to pornography was also found to be higher among sexual minorities (β=2.72, CI: 0.09, 5.36). Qualitative findings suggested that sexual minorities likely used pornography and masturbation to cope with the lockdown, given the limited physical access to sexual partners in a society that stigmatizes homosexuality. Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative study findings suggested that greater frequency of calling family members during lockdown could strengthen social relationships and increase social empathy. The study thereby urgently calls for the attention of policymakers to take sensitive and inclusive health decisions for the marginalized and the vulnerable, both during and after the crisis.

Are people experiencing the ‘pains of imprisonment’ during the Covid-19 lockdown?

“…According to Kruttschnitt and Gartner's (2003) review of research on women's imprisonment, female responses to imprisonment are similar to those found in male prisoners, although women tend to be more COVID-19 LOCKDOWN active in choosing their patterns of adjustment. Second, we found that whereas people in lockdown thought less often about missing sex than did first-time prisoners, who are deprived of heterosexual relations, our study does not capture the longing for homosexual relations that have been identified in some recent research on the Covid-19 lockdown (Sharma & Subramanyam, 2020). Finally, at the time of data collection, the lockdown sample had spent considerably less time in confinement than the prison sample, and so they may not have had sufficient time to adapt to their situation.…”

“…Other studies have similarly noted a disruption to social ties during lockdown (e.g., Roy et al, 2020;Sharma & Subramanyam, 2020).…”

“…In addition, Aymerich-Franch (2020) found that over half of adults in lockdown in Spain felt more trapped than before lockdown, and 70.2% felt less free. Adults in lockdown in India report disruption in their daily routine and social contacts (Sharma & Subramanyam, 2020), and whereas those in lockdown in Spain and Zimbabwe report an increased frequency of doing household chores (Aymerich-Franch, 2020;Chirombe et al, 2020) and use of media/social media (Aymerich-Franch, 2020), those in lockdown in India report spending most of their time resting, and not engaging in physical exercise (Singhal & Vijayaraghavan, 2020).…”

Preventing COVID‐19 Amid Public Health and Urban Planning Failures in Slums of Indian Cities

“…When community spread became evident in the rapid spread of the disease, cities and states started taking such measures as quarantines and increased testing. However, the most stringent measure, a complete national lockdown for 21 days, was announced on March 24th with very little notice and eventually extended to May 3rd and has been applauded by the World Health Organization envoy Dr. Nabarro as “early, far‐sighted and courageous” (Sharma, 2020). According to Oxford University's Government Response Tracker data, India's response is one of the most stringent, with a Stringency Index score of 97 on a scale that ranges from 0 to 100 and reflects seven different measures (Figure 1).…”

Dynamics of psychological responses to COVID-19 in India: A longitudinal study

“…The lockdown was further extended until May 3rd, with conditional relaxations [3]. While the lockdown was intended to curb the spread of the virus, it had psychological ramifications on the citizens [4][5][6][7]. The self-isolation and restrictions on physical mobility due to the lockdown caused major disruptions to routines in life and hindered the ability to meet regular responsibilities-potentially affecting the physical and mental health of individuals.…”