The psychological impact of COVID-19 in Canada: Effects of social isolation during the initial response.

Abstract

Canadian public health officials responded to the unprecedented global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by invoking public health measures ranging from extreme (e.g., quarantine) to lighter (e.g., social distancing) measures. Although necessary to mitigate disease spread, the psychological impact of social distancing and isolation is unknown (Wang et al., 2020). The impetus of this study were calls for research to compare the psychological effects of extreme and lighter measures (see Brooks et al., 2020), and our purpose was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on psychological distress to determine whether negative effects were present during the initial stages of social distancing/isolation measures. In this study, questionnaire data measuring satisfaction with life, social cohesion, psychological distress, and perceptions of risk was collected from 1381 Canadians during the early days of intense public health measures (31 March through 15 April 2020). Results suggest that even short-term social distancing practices are associated with increased psychological distress, including elevated levels of overall distress, such as panic, emotional disturbances, and depression. These results are noteworthy for several reasons: the timing of the distress, the population under investigation, and the fact that the applied mitigation was “lighter” than full quarantines previously studied. These findings suggest that after only a short period of time, less restrictive public health measures can lead to psychological distress. These results have major significance for government officials in future public health crisis as they judiciously weigh the costs and benefits of applying such measures with various public health guidelines discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subjective well-being: longitudinal evidence on satisfaction with work and family

“…Especially mothers seem to be negatively affected by the COVID-19 lockdown as they usually bear the main burden of care work (Rosenfeld et al 2004;Schober 2014). For those without children, the negative lockdown effect may result from the impoverishment of social contacts (Best et al 2020). This is in line with childless being the only group that shows a negative, albeit insignificant, effect of working from home on family satisfaction and provides weak support for Hypothesis 4.…”

Coping With the COVID-19 Pandemic: Examining Gender Differences in Stress and Mental Health Among University Students

“…While not specific to student populations, emerging literature similarly finds that young adult females demonstrate higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in the wake of COVID-19 ( 13 , 14 ). Indeed, females more generally have experienced a greater elevation in levels of depression, emotional distress, and panic as a result of the pandemic ( 45 ).…”

Salud mental en estudiantes chilenos durante confinamiento por Covid-19: revisión bibliográfica

“…Además, los cambios rápidos, como la privación de la libertad de moverse o de encontrarse con otras personas, a menudo son difíciles de interpretar (Corvo & De Caro, 2020). Los resultados sugieren que incluso las prácticas de distanciamiento social a corto plazo están asociadas con un aumento de la angustia psicológica, incluidos niveles elevados de angustia general, como pánico, trastornos emocionales y depresión (Best et al, 2020). Se ha visto un aumento significativo del miedo y la dificultad de adaptarse al cambio, así como la sensación de incertidumbre sobre el futuro (Corvo & De Caro, 2020).…”