The Impact of COVID-19 Related Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes: A Transdiagnostic Account

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the social distancing practices that followed, have been associated with increased prevalence of emotional disorders. However, not all individuals affected by COVID-19-related social distancing experienced elevations in emotional disorder symptoms. Understanding this phenomenon is of crucial public health significance given the burden of emotional disorders on individuals and systems. In this narrative review, we consider the differential impact of COVID-19-related social distancing on mental health outcomes from a transdiagnostic perspective. We argue that individuals high in negative affect and aversive reactivity to emotion, that is, neuroticism, and who respond to such emotional experiences with emotion-motivated avoidant coping, are most likely to experience emotional disorders in the context of COVID-19 social distancing. We acknowledge the pro-social and adaptive function of some types of avoidance during the pandemic, which may have initially buffered against negative mental health outcomes. Implications of this conceptualization for treatment of emotional disorders in the present sociocultural context are discussed.

Transdiagnostic considerations of mental health for the post-COVID era: Lessons from the first surge of the pandemic

“…A debate about diagnosis has commenced[ 10 - 13 ] and a transdiagnostic approach has been suggested by previous studies[ 12 , 14 , 15 ]. To examine the transdiagnostic hypothesis, we conducted two independent studies of psychiatric data collected during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, one in Italy and one in Israel.…”

Social‐distancing memories and well‐being in the cultural context

“…Whereas some studies showed that the shutdown did not result in an increase in loneliness (Luchetti et al, 2020), others found that engagement in social distancing was associated with negative outcomes such as elevated depression and anxiety, particularly among youths and individuals of certain personality traits (Benke et al, 2020;Spencer-Laitt et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2022). Importantly, individuals' memory about an experience is critical for their sense of self and well-being, above and beyond the experience itself (e.g., Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000;Cox et al, 2019;Wang, 2021;Williams et al, 2007).…”

“…At the time of the implementation, Western experts warned that social distancing is against hard‐wired human nature and that it can result in loneliness, social isolation, and serious unintended consequences for mental and physical health 1 . Subsequent research has yielded mixed findings: Whereas some studies showed that the shutdown did not result in an increase in loneliness (Luchetti et al, 2020), others found that engagement in social distancing was associated with negative outcomes such as elevated depression and anxiety, particularly among youths and individuals of certain personality traits (Benke et al, 2020; Spencer‐Laitt et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2022). Importantly, individuals' memory about an experience is critical for their sense of self and well‐being, above and beyond the experience itself (e.g., Conway & Pleydell‐Pearce, 2000; Cox et al, 2019; Wang, 2021; Williams et al, 2007).…”

“…Furthermore, to test the relation of memory to well‐being as a function of culture, participants completed a battery of well‐being measures. To control for individual variations, participants also completed assessments of personal characteristics, including sense of relatedness, extraversion, and independence, characteristics that may protect individuals from the experience of loneliness and thus influence their mental health outcomes in the context of COVID‐19 social distancing (Spencer‐Laitt et al, 2022). Information about household size was also collected given that it might play an important role in experiences of isolation during the lockdown and in turn psychological well‐being (Bland et al, 2022; Hernandez, et al, 2021).…”

Poor mental health is associated with loneliness and boredom during Covid-19-related restriction periods in patients with pre-existing depression

“…reductions in social contacts) explained 15 % of the distress increase in the American general population during the initial stage of the pandemic ( Robinson and Daly, 2021 ). Social distancing (including both stay at home orders by governments as well as other personal decisions people to maintain distance to minimize risk of exposure to the virus) has been associated with depression, anxiety, and emotional distress ( Rodríguez-Fernández et al, 2021 ; Spencer-Laitt et al, 2022 ) independently of levels of social support, ( Marroquín et al, 2020 ). Having a pre-existing mental health condition was associated with social-distancing-related distress ( Taylor et al, 2020 ).…”