Novelty Seeking and Mental Health in Chinese University Students Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

COVID-19 has created significant concern surrounding the impact of pandemic lockdown on mental health. While the pandemic lockdown can be distressing, times of crisis can also provide people with the opportunity to think divergently and explore different activities. Novelty seeking, where individuals explore novel and unfamiliarly stimuli and environments, may enhance the creativity of individuals to solve problems in a way that allows them to adjust their emotional responses to stressful situations. This study employs a longitudinal design to investigate changes in novelty seeking and mental health outcomes (namely, stress, anxiety, and depression) before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, among a group of students (final N = 173; Mage = 19.81; SDage = 0.98; 135 females and 38 males) from a university in southeast China. Participants were surveyed at three points: November, 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic); between February and March, 2020 (during the peak of the pandemic and intense lockdown in China); and between May and June, 2020 (after lockdown had been lifted in China). Cross-sectionally, correlation analysis indicated that greater novelty seeking was associated with lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression at all three time points. Univariate latent curve modeling (LCM) indicated a growth trajectory in which novelty seeking increased over time and then remained high during the post-lockdown period. Stress, anxiety, and depression all showed V-shaped growth trajectories in which these variables decreased during lockdown, before increasing in the post-lockdown period. Multivariate LCM indicated the growth trajectory for novelty seeking was associated with the growth trajectories for stress, anxiety, and depression. This suggests that the observed decreases in stress, anxiety, and depression during the lockdown period may be attributable to the sample’s observed increase in novelty seeking. These findings are valuable in that they challenge the notion that lockdown measures are inherently detrimental to mental health. The findings indicate the important role of novelty seeking in responding to crises. It may be possible for future public health measures to incorporate the promotion of novelty seeking to help individuals’ respond to stressful situations and maintain good mental health in the face of crises.

Learning from previous lockdown measures and minimising harmful biopsychosocial consequences as they end: A systematic review

“…Similarly, overall symptom predominance decreased following measures lifting [ 24 ]. Conversely, symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in a study of Chinese students decreased during national lockdown, and subsequently increased after measures were removed [ 23 ]. Minimal changes to psychological well-being were described by Zhou et al six weeks after national lockdown ended in China [ 58 ].…”

Mental Health of Chinese People During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations With Infection Severity of Region of Residence and Filial Piety

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified people's awareness of death and death-related anxiety (Li et al, 2020c). The theoretical underpinnings of terror management theory (TMT) and the meaning maintenance model (MMM) consider the impact of death-related anxiety and reach similar conclusions regarding the importance of culturally salient relationship models.…”

“…This notion is evident in contemporary Chinese culture. For example, Li et al (2020c) maintains that China being a "dear mother" is a common motif in contemporary Chinese popular culture (e.g., music and literature), representing the cultural belief that the state is a symbolic parental figure for Chinese people, and reinforcing the cultural expectation of being filial to authority.…”

Through thick and thin: changes in creativity during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“…Many countries applied (and still apply) similar measures to limit the spread of the virus. These constraints imply a restriction of movement, the need to adapt working methods (remote working, partial unemployment), a modification of daily life within households (e.g., management of children, protection of vulnerable people, living conditions), and a decreased wellbeing (linked to health issues, restrictions of activities and social interactions, or economic consequences) with elements of distress, loneliness, and anxiety [1][2][3][4][5] . Paradoxically, during this period, general and social media have reported that individuals and businesses seemed to show great adaptability to face the situation by finding innovative solutions as well as creative behaviors.…”

“…The situation related to COVID-19 likely has a major impact on many if not all the creativity dimensions or factors described above, by affecting our emotions, motivations, and wellbeing, modifying our environment, our lifestyle, and availability, but also by modifying the standards and incentives of our society during this period, opening a new framework of thought 30,31 . Several studies reported how the pandemic and lockdown had increased psychological distress, mood disorders, loneliness, and anxiety [1][2][3][4][5] , with a potential negative impact on creativity. Nevertheless, the few existing scientific studies that explored creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic have indeed suggested that the lockdown period facilitated everyday creativity 32,33 or that creative abilities could help people dealing with the situation and improve their wellbeing 3,34,35 .…”