Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK-based focus group study

Williams, Simon; Armitage, Christopher J.; Tampe, Tova; Dienes, Kimberly

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039334

Cited by 391 publications

(444 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(30 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

387

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The search results are summarised in Figure 1. In total, 1235 citations were identi ed, of which 16 were found to be relevant [39,40,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54] excluded 68 studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, other studies further added that if the basic reproduction number of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, UK and US exceeds 2, (it was 2•2 in Wuhan), we would need >44% reduction in COVID-19 transmission to completely avert a local epidemic. A reduction of this magnitude could, however, substantially atten the peak of and area under the epidemic curve, thus reducing the risk of exceeding the healthcare system capacity, potentially saving many lives, especially older adults [39,40,42,44,51].…”

Section: Quality Of the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four of the 16 studies identi ed these barriers [42,45,47,52]. The commonest associated factors were: anxiety [47], increased time in quarantine associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression [47], decrease in physical activity [45], loss of social interaction, and emotional and psychological distress [42].…”

Section: Theme 6: Physical and Psychological Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We found eight studies that evaluated differences across demographic and socio-economic strata, age and COVID-19 pandemic [39,[41][42][43]46,47,50,53]. These studies found that COVID-19 was often associated with people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations in lower socio-economic groups, employment in lower band/category, other comorbidities, exposure risks and older age.…”

Section: Theme 7: Ethnicity Age and Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Factors impacting social distancing measures for preventing coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]: A systematic review

Regmi¹,

Lwin²

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Social distancing measures (SDMs) protect the health of the public from coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, the impact of SDMs has been inconsistent and unclear. This study aims to review the factors impacting SDMs (e.g. isolation, quarantine) for reducing the transmission of COVID-19.Methods: A systematic review was conducted. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied & Complementary Medicine, COVID-19 Research and WHO database on COVID-19 for primary studies assessing the enablers and barriers associated with SDMs, and reported in accordance with PRISMA statement. We used JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for the cross-sectional survey and Qualitative Research to assess the methodological qualities and synthesised performing thematic analysis. Two reviewers independently screened the papers and extracted data.Results: A total of 1235 citations were identified, of which 16 were found to be relevant. The studies reported in two broad categories, under seven separate themes: positive impact of SDMs, effective public health interventions, positive change in people’s behaviour, worries and concerns about COVID-19, roles of mass media, physical and psychological impacts, and ethnicity/age associated with COVID-19.Conclusion: The identified evidence signals that SDMs are generally effective for preventing or reducing transmission. There is a scope and need to find the best methods and approaches at the primary healthcare level in terms of developing objective measures and interventions to establish the link between different factors and SDMs and reducing transmission of COVID-19 trend effectively, efficiently and equitably.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quality Of the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theme 6: Physical and Psychological Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theme 7: Ethnicity Age and Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Factors impacting social distancing measures for preventing coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]: A systematic review

Regmi¹,

Lwin²

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, while social distancing is not meant to imply a reduction in social or emotional support it can easily be misunderstood as "distancing" [11]. Further, social distancing can be associated with a loss of motivation, loss of meaning, loss of self-worth, and subsequent mental health problems [12]. Moreover, the public dissemination of preventive measures can trigger anxieties, lead to discrimination and stigma, and cause misinformation through misunderstanding [13].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The situation of elderly with cognitive impairment living at home during lockdown in the Corona-pandemic in Germany

Thyrian

Kracht

Nikelski

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract Background: The outbreak of the Corona virus is a challenge for health care systems worldwide. Elderly people with comorbidities are at a higher risk and the different levels of government in Germany reacted jointly to the challenge with social distancing and a lockdown. Little empirical evidence exists about the psychosocial situation of elderly people during this time. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze a) knowledge about, and feelings related to the Corona-pandemic. Describe b) loneliness, depression and anxiety, and, c) the perceived, immediate impact of the lockdown on frequency of social contacts and quality of health care provision of people with cognitive impairment during social distancing and lockdown in the primary care system and daily living at home in Germany. Methods: This analysis is based on data from standardized telephone interviews in a convenience sample of n=141 people with known cognitive impairment in the primary care setting. Participants were recruited from currently running interventional trials. Therefore, data on e.g. cognitive and psychological status prior to the pandemic was available. Attitudes, knowledge about and perceived personal impact of the pandemic, social support, loneliness, anxiety, depression, frequency of social activities due to the pandemic and perceived impact of the pandemic on health care services were assessed during the time of lockdown. Results: The vast majority of participants consider themselves sufficiently informed about Corona (85%) and most think that the measures taken are appropriate (64%). A total of 11% shows one main symptom of a depression according to DSM-V. The frequency of depressive symptoms has not increased between the time before pandemic and lockdown in almost all participants. The sample shows minimal (65.0%) or low levels of anxiety (25%). The prevalence of loneliness is 10%. On average seven activities have decreased in frequency due to the pandemic. Social activities related to meeting people, dancing or birthday visits have decreased significantly. Talking with friends by phone and activities like gardening have increased. Utilization of health care services like day clinics, relief services and prescribed therapies are reported to have worsened due to the pandemic. Also visits to general practitioners decreased. Discussion: The study shows a limited impact of the pandemic on psychological variables including depression, anxiety and loneliness in the short-term. People are well informed but not especially concerned about themselves or others. There is a decrease in social activities as expected, in line with the restrictions imposed. The impact on health care provision is prominent. There is a need for longitudinal studies to assess longer-term effects of the pandemic and social distancing on elderly people with cognitive impairment living at home and their caregivers. There is also a need for qualitative, in-depth studies to further interpret the results. In general, elderly people in the setting under examination and with the limitations of this specific study seem to compensate restrictions during the time of lockdown in Germany rather well.

show abstract

Public Preferences for Social Distancing Policy Measures to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19 in Missouri

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IMPORTANCE Policies to promote social distancing can minimize COVID-19 transmission but come with substantial social and economic costs. Quantifying relative preferences among the public for such practices can inform locally relevant policy prioritization and optimize uptake.OBJECTIVE To evaluate relative utilities (ie, preferences) for COVID-19 pandemic social distancing strategies against the hypothetical risk of acquiring COVID-19 and anticipated income loss. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This survey study recruited individuals living in theMissouri area from May to June 2020 via randomly distributed unincentivized social media advertisements and local recruitment platforms for members of minority racial and ethnic groups.Participants answered 6 questions that asked them to choose between 2 hypothetical counties where business closures, social distancing policy duration, COVID-19 infection risk, and income loss varied. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESReweighted population-level relative preferences (utilities) for social distancing policies, subgroups, and latent classes. RESULTSThe survey had a 3% response rate (3045 of 90 320). Of the 2428 respondents who completed the survey, 1669 (75%) were 35 years and older, 1536 (69%) were women, and 1973 (89%) were White. After reweighting to match Missouri population demographic characteristics, the strongest preference was for the prohibition of large gatherings (mean preference, −1.43; 95% CI, −1.67 to −1.18), with relative indifference to the closure of social and lifestyle venues (mean preference, 0.05; 95% CI, −0.08 to 0.17). There were weak preferences to keep outdoor venues (mean preference, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.61) and schools (mean preference, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.30) open. Latent class analysis revealed 4 distinct preference phenotypes in the population: risk averse (48.9%), conflicted (22.5%), prosocial (14.9%), and back to normal (13.7%), with men twice as likely as women to belong to the back to normal group than the risk averse group (relative risk ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.54 to 3.12). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this survey study using a discrete choice experiment, public health policies that prohibited large gatherings, as well as those that closed social and lifestyle venues, appeared to be acceptable to the public. During policy implementation, these activities should be prioritized for first-phase closures. These findings suggest that policy messages that address preference heterogeneity (eg, focusing on specific preference subgroups or targeting men) could improve adherence to social distancing measures for COVID-19 and future pandemics.

show abstract

Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a UK-based focus group study

Cited by 391 publications

References 19 publications

Factors impacting social distancing measures for preventing coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]: A systematic review

Factors impacting social distancing measures for preventing coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]: A systematic review

The situation of elderly with cognitive impairment living at home during lockdown in the Corona-pandemic in Germany

Public Preferences for Social Distancing Policy Measures to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19 in Missouri

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About