In a new study, researchers found social distancing and isolation is having significant impacts on people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
They found that social distancing is leading to heightened feelings of anxiety and depression amongst the general public.
People in low-paid or insecure occupations experienced the greatest impact.
Some people are fearful they will experience a health or social anxiety after the lockdown, while others plan to go back to normal levels of social activity as soon as possible.
The research was conducted by a team at The University of Manchester and Swansea University
The researchers conducted five online focus groups from across the United Kingdom in the early stages of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown.
The groups explored their views and experiences. Even after as little as two weeks, people were struggling with the loss of social interaction.
The team says the study finds many people are really sticking to the guidelines on social distancing.
However, it is coming at a significant cost to people’s mental health and wellbeing, particularly those in low-paid or insecure jobs.
A rapid response is necessary in terms of public health programming to mitigate these mental health impacts.
Waiting to provide support until after social distancing and isolation measures are relaxed or removed could have potentially devastating and lasting impacts on mental health, especially among those already socially and economically vulnerable.
The team found that one of the key themes was a feeling of loss. For some, social distancing has meant a loss of income.
For others, it has meant a loss of structure and routine as people struggle to balance working from home with childcare. For everyone, it has meant a loss of face-to-face social interaction.
The study shows how these physical losses are having a knock-on effect in the form of emotional ‘losses’, such as a loss of self-worth, loss of motivation and a loss of meaning in daily life.
The study also provides early evidence on how people might behave after the current lockdown ends, something that will influence how much and how quickly COVID-19 will continue to spread.
One author of the study is Dr. Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University.
The study is published in the BMJ Open.
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