Health-related quality of life and mental well-being of healthy and diseased persons in 8 countries: Does stringency of government response against early COVID-19 matter?

Abstract

Objectives Our study aimed to (1) assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental well-being of healthy and diseased persons in the general population during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examine the relationship between HRQoL and mental well-being and individual characteristics and government response against COVID-19, as measured by the stringency index. Methods A web-based survey was administered to a cohort of persons from the general population of eight countries: Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (US) from April 22 to May 5 and May 26 to June 1, 2020. Country-level stringency indices were adopted from the COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. Primary outcomes were HRQoL, measured using the EQ-5D-5L, and mental well-being, measured using the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being (WHO-5). Findings 21,354 respondents were included in the study. Diseased respondents had lower EQ-5D-5L and WHO-5 scores compared to healthy respondents. Younger respondents had lower WHO-5 scores than older respondents. The stringency index had a stronger association with the EQ-5D-5L and WHO-5 among diseased respondents compared to healthy respondents. Increasing stringency was associated with an increase in EQ-5D-5L scores but a decrease in the WHO-5 index. Conclusion The stringency of government response is inversely related to HRQoL and mental well-being with a small positive relation with HRQoL and strong negative relation with mental well-being. The magnitude of effects differed for healthy and diseased persons and by age but was most favourable for diseased and older persons.

The Interplay Between Quality of Life and Resilience Factors in Later Life: A Network Analysis

“…The lack of an effect of the stringency of the COVID-19 policies on QoL may be explained by the fact that our study took place during the second wave of the pandemic. Previous studies that were conducted during the initial phase, or its aftermath (summer 2020), have reported either negative ( O’Hara et al, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2021a ; Voss et al, 2021 ), or positive effects on individuals’ mental health ( Kim and Jung, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2021b ; Long et al, 2021 ). Hence, current findings may indicate that, over time, individuals became more resistant to fluctuations in policies and restrictions, possibly because they had become accustomed to the uncertainty and frequent policy changes.…”

The effect of cyberchondria on anxiety, depression and quality of life during COVID-19: the mediational role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and Internet addiction

“…Finally, considering the current pandemic context, governments may have a fundamental role. While the evidence seem still controversial concerning the impact of the timeliness and the stringency of governments’ response to COVID-19 on physical and mental health ( Ćepulić et al, 2021 ; Chen et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Lee et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Long et al, 2021 ), higher levels of trust in governments seem to increase the adoption of protective behaviors among the public ( Robinson et al, 2021 ) and to moderate the risk perception of COVID-19 ( Xu, 2021 ) and the psychological distress ( Ahn et al, 2021 ; Olagoke et al, 2020 ), even when restrictions are stringent ( Tan et al, 2021 ). As misinformation showed to be negatively associated with lower levels of confidence in governments and scientific institutions ( Pickles et al, 2021 ), it is fundamental that governments spread consistent and clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19 to help people to deal with this kind of information and to identify trustworthy sources ( Okan et al, 2020 ), moderating the detrimental impact of the infodemic on psychological wellbeing ( Samal, 2021 ).…”

The Association between Online Learning and Food Consumption and Lifestyle Behaviors and Quality of Life in Terms of Mental Health of Undergraduate Students during COVID-19 Restrictions

“…Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on the general population's quality of life, particularly in terms of physical, social, psychological, mental, and spiritual health [30][31][32]. In this study, six significant themes of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) associated with mental health problems were chosen, indicating an individual's perception of well-being in the context of satisfaction with essential aspects of life.…”