Increased loneliness, economic worry
Further analysis into loneliness showed that twice as many respondents described themselves as lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with beforehand (18.3% vs. 8.5%).
There was very little improvement in loneliness across the study period, “so whilst it might be higher than normal, we’ve not really seen any reduction, even when there’s been easing of lockdown,” Dr. Fancourt said.
A possible reason could be that some of the most lonely respondents were not able to come out of lockdown because of being in a higher-risk group, she noted.
As with the main findings, loneliness during the pandemic was worse for younger adults as well as for those of low income, those who lived alone, and those who had a mental illness.
The researchers assessed lower socioeconomic position (SEP), which was defined by several indicators: annual household income less than £30,000 (about $38,000), high school or lower education, being unemployed, renting instead of owning one’s own home, or living in overcrowded accommodations
During the COVID-19 epidemic, having a lower SEP was associated with a 50%-100% increased risk of losing work in comparison with having a higher SEP. There was also a 300% increased risk of being unable to pay bills and a 600%-800% increased risk of not being able to access essentials, such as medication or sufficient food.
Interestingly, worrying about potential adversities during the pandemic had a similar impact on anxiety and depression. “In other words, worrying about what might be about to happen seems to be as bad for mental health as those things actually happening,” Dr. Fancourt said.
The majority of participants did not feel in control of their future plans and felt more out of control of their employment and mental health than they did their physical health.
Individuals aged 18-29 years felt least in control over finances, relationships, future plans, and mental health. Those aged 60 years or older were the most likely to report feeling in control on all measures.
Puzzling results
Dr. Spiegel described the results as “a little puzzling in some ways.” He noted that the easing of discomfort that participants felt during lockdown suggests that the idea of a lockdown being a terrible thing “is not necessarily the case.”
“People realize that their lives and lifestyles are being threatened, and it can be actually comforting to be doing something, even if what you’re doing is rather uncomfortable and disruptive of life,” said Dr. Spiegel, who was not involved with the research.
The lockdown may have led people “to think a little more deeply about what matters to them in life,” he added.
A big message from the study is that “the most anxious and depressed were young people in their late teens to late 20s,” Dr. Spiegel noted. That’s when individuals are most sociable, when they form their own social networks, and when they look for partners.
“What’s a little scarier is they also had higher levels of thoughts of death and self-harm and less life satisfaction. So I think the consequences of social disruption were most profound in this study for people for whom social life is the most important,” said Dr. Spiegel.
However, Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD, professor of psychological science, medicine, and public health, University of California, Irvine, noted that, despite the large number of participants, the study’s methodology left many questions unanswered.
She explained that to make sound public policy recommendations, “one needs to pay a great deal of attention to the methods that are used in collecting those data.” From the available information, the degree to which the sample is representative and the participation rate are unclear, which leaves the study open to selection bias, despite the weighting the researchers performed to generate the results.
“The methodological soundness of the studies on the mental health effect of COVID are just as important, I believe, as they are when we’re trying to understand the effect of treatment or a drug,” Dr. Cohen Silver said.