Physical Distancing and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Psychological Symptoms and Adherence to Pandemic Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

In this epidemiological investigation, we assessed the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 10,061 adults participated in the study. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were 2 to 3 times higher compared with prepandemic samples. Participants who predominantly socially distanced themselves revealed substantially higher symptoms than their counterparts. Females, ethnic and sexual-orientation minorities, younger adults, unemployed individuals, and participants with a psychiatric diagnosis reported higher prevalence of psychological symptoms. Worry about prolonged duration of physical-distancing protocols and frustration of autonomy was associated with elevation in symptoms of depression and anxiety. Increased competence to deal with the pandemic crisis was associated with fewer adverse symptoms. Physical exercise, experiencing nature, and distraction with activities were associated with reduced depressive symptoms but not anxiety. The extent of information access about the pandemic was associated with reduced anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, adherence to mitigation protocols was investigated. Younger adults and males reported lowest adherence. Altruistic attitudes, in addition to mandatory as opposed to voluntary adherence, were associated with higher adherence rates. Worrying about the health of significant others was associated with higher adherence rates, whereas worry about duration of pandemic protocols was associated with lower adherence rates.

A nationwide study of adolescent psychosocial well-being one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The results may be explained by the adverse effects of social isolation, the economic recession, and disruptions in mental health care services due to the pandemic 1,2 . The results are in line with research on adults showing substantial increases in mental health problems among adults early in the pandemic [14][15][16][17][18] . However, the increase of about 2.13 units on a scale from 0 to 100 shows that the effect is of a moderate magnitude and seems to be considerably smaller than what has been found in studies on adults.…”

“…In the domain of mental health, it has been suggested that the pandemic leads to increasing mental health problems in children and adolescents because of the unique combination of social isolation, economic recession, and disruptions in mental health care services for adolescents 1,2 . Moreover, large-scale studies in several countries have indicated that early in the pandemic, mental health problems increased among adults [14][15][16][17][18] . However, research on adolescents has not been conclusive.…”

“…It would therefore be important to examine to what degree higher infection rates and stricter restrictions affect adolescents' psychosocial well-being. A study on adults has found that people who predominately physically distanced themselves report higher levels of mental health problems 17 , thereby indicating that mental health problems may be higher in areas with more extensive distancing measures. However, there is a lack of studies that directly examine the association between infection rates, restriction severity on the regional level, and psychological well-being in adolescents.…”

Locus of control moderates the association of COVID-19 stress and general mental distress: Results of a cross-sectional survey in two large samples from Norway, Germany, and Austria

“…Similar results were found in a study comparing mental health during the onset of the pandemic in Norway, Germany, and four other countries [41]. Prevalence of mental distress was higher in another Norwegian large-scale investigation that was carried out when all COVID-19 regulations were in force, and that was based on a sample with predominantly young adults [57]. Still, both the Norwegian and German-speaking samples presented here revealed degrees of mental distress that are higher than those reported in general population samples before the COVID-19 pandemic [47,[58][59][60].…”

Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…At the first wave of data collection (i.e., between March 31 and April 7, 2020), 10 061 participants were recruited through an online survey disseminated via national, regional, and local information platforms (i.e., television, radio, and newspapers), in addition to dissemination to a random selection of Norwegian adults through a Facebook Business algorithm. This procedure is elaborated in detail elsewhere (Ebrahimi et al, 2021). All respondents were re-contacted for participation for the fourth wave of data collection between January 23 to February 2, 2021, of which 4571 were eligible for the present study.…”