The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns

In a study entitled ‘The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns: A

Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies and Natural Experiments’ conducted by

Gabriele Prati and Anthony Mancini included a rapid review and meta-analysis of longitudinal

studies and natural experiments investigating the relationship between COVID-19 lockdowns

and mental health. A total of 25 studies involving 72,004 participants and 58 effect sizes were

examined. Using a random effects model, the researchers found that lockdowns had small

effects on mental health symptoms, but the effects on positive psychological functioning were

not significant. Results indicated substantial heterogeneity among studies, but meta-regression

analyses found no significant moderation effects for mean age, gender, continent, COVID-19

death rate, days of lockdown, publication status or study design. The psychological impact of

COVID-19 lockdowns is small in magnitude and highly heterogeneous, suggesting that

lockdowns do not have uniformly detrimental effects on mental health and that most people are

psychologically resilient to their effects. The implementation of social distancing and the security

measures have affected the relationship among people and their perception of empathy toward

others. Lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have had

profound effects on everyday life worldwide, but their effect on mental health remains unclear

because available meta-analyses and reviews rely mostly on cross-sectional studies.

Another research study entitled ‘School closure and management practices during

coronavirus outbreaks including COVID-19: A rapid systematic review’ by Viner et al., found out

that young children and adolescents the pandemic and lockdown have a greater impact on

emotional and social development compared to that in the grown-ups through narratively

reviewing various articles related to mental-health aspects of children and adolescents impacted

by COVID-19 pandemic and enforcement of nationwide or regional lockdowns to prevent further

spread of infection. In one of the preliminary studies during the on-going pandemic, it was found
younger children of three to six years old were more likely to manifest symptoms of clinginess

and the fear of family members being infected than older children of six to eighteen years old.

Whereas, the older children were more likely to experience inattention and were persistently

inquiring regarding COVID-19.

One more study found that older adolescents and youth are anxious regarding

cancellation of examinations, exchange programs and academic events (Lee, 2020). Current

studies related to COVID-19 demonstrate that school shut downs in isolation prevent about 2-

4% more deaths that is considered as small percentage compared to the practice of other

measures of social distancing. In addition, this study also found out that this pandemic has

given a rise in the hoarding behavior among the teenagers (Oosterhoff et al., 2020a). It is also

found that among youth, social distancing is viewed mainly as a social responsibility and is

followed more sincerely if motivated by prosocial whys and wherefores to prevent others from

getting gruesome (Oosterhoff et al., 2020a). However, due to prolonged confinement at home

children's increased use of internet and social media predisposes them to use internet

compulsively, access objectionable content and also increases their susceptibility for getting

bullied or abused (Cooper, 2020; UNICEF, 2020b).

Another study entitled focused on the effects of lockdowns on children with special

needs- autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, learning disability,

developmental delays and other behavioral and emotional difficulties- found out that these

children also encounter challenges during the current pandemic and lockdown (CDC, 2019).

They experience intolerance for uncertainty and there is an intensification in the symptoms due

to the enforced restrictions and unfriendly environment which does not correspond with their

regular routine. With the closure of special schools and day care centers these children lack

access to resource material, peer group interactions and opportunities of learning and

developing important social and behavioral skills in due time may lead to regression to the past

behavior as they lose anchor in life, as a result of this their symptoms could relapse (Lee, 2020).
Although prior to the pandemic, these children had been facing difficulties even while attending

special schools, but in due course they had learnt to develop a schedule to adhere to for most of

the time of the day (APA, 2020; Cortese et al., 2020; UNICEF, 2020a). To cater to these

challenges, it is difficult for parents to handle the challenged children and adolescents on their

own, as they lack professional expertise and they mostly relied on schools and therapists to

help them out (Dalton et al., 2020).

Upon reviewing the series of studies stated previously, the researchers were provided

with a fundamental and clear understanding of how this pandemic affects different people

dealing with different circumstances in life. These finding would be of great help in assessing

the responses of the subjects intended for the purpose of the conduct of the researchers’ own

study.

(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348431413_The_Psychological_Impact_of_COVID-

19_Pandemic_Lockdowns_A_Review_and_Meta-

Analysis_of_Longitudinal_Studies_and_Natural_Experiments)

The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Students of Higher Education

A study entitled ‘Stress and sleep-in college students prior to and during the COVID‐19

pandemic’ provided by Grand Benham of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, revealed that

within the short timeframe of the COVID‐19 pandemic, there has been increasing interest in its

potential impact on psychological stress and sleep. Using standardized self‐report measures,

we examined differences in stress and sleep by comparing responses from three independent

samples of undergraduates in the United States. As samples were obtained prior to COVID‐19

(Spring 2019) and at two periods during the pandemic (Spring 2020 and Summer 2020), this

corresponded to an increasing impact of COVID‐19 at the local level. Within the combined

sample of 1222 students, 94% identified as Hispanic, it is said by the researchers, contrary to
their hypotheses, stress, sleep quality and insomnia were not significantly higher in the samples

collected during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, in support of their hypotheses, bedtime and

waketime were significantly later during the pandemic, and sleep duration was significantly

longer. Among the results, there was evidence of greater sleep inactivity, greater sleep

medication uses and poorer sleep efficiency during the pandemic. The results suggest that,

within the US college student population, COVID‐19's impact on stress and sleep may not be

entirely negative.

Apart from physical suffering, in as study entitled ‘The Psychological Impact of the

COVID-19 on Students’ it is revealed that it is common for confirmed or suspected cases of

COVID-19 to suffer from great psychological pressure and other health-related problems. In

turn, the public at large may also experience boredom, disappointment, and irritability under the

isolation measures. In this study including two parts- an online survey study with non-

probabilistic convenience sampling and focus group interviews, the researchers aim to explore

the psychological impact of COVID-19 and coping methods in higher education students.

Similarly, depression and anxiety are common mental health problems experienced by

university students. Being in higher education is associated with many stressors and transitional

events, and students fall within the age range when common mental health problems are at

their developmental peak which can impair students' academic performance and social

functioning, cause significant burden at university, and potentially affect their future career

opportunities.

As per reviewing the preceding studies, these provided enough guide and additional

information about specific impacts of COVID-19 on students. In addition, these may also serve

as an additional criterion for the basis of responses provided by the future researcher’s subjects.

Furthermore, these discusses how students are exposed and react to real, actual and practical

situations.
 (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347795440_Stress_and_sleep_in_college_stu

dents_prior_to_and_during_the_COVID-19_pandemic)

(https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04365361)

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic stances a threat to societies’

mental health. This study examined the occurrence of psychiatric symptoms and recognized the

factors causative to psychological impact in the Philippines. A total of 1879 finished online

surveys were congregated from March 28-April 12, 2020. These included socio-demographics,

health status, contact history, COVID-19 knowledge and concerns, precautionary measures,

information needs, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Impact of

Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) ratings that suggested that in the total number of respondents,

16.3% of respondents rated the psychological impact of the occurrence as moderate-to-severe;

16.9% reported moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms; 28.8% had moderate-to-severe

anxiety levels; and 13.4% had moderate-to-severe stress levels. Results proposed that during

the early phase of the pandemic in the Philippines, one-fourth of respondents reported

moderate-to-severe anxiety and one-sixth reported moderate-to-severe depression and

psychological impact.

This study aids in the researchers’ way of identifying the factors that can be used to

devise effective psychological support strategies, if possible. In addition, this highly suggests

and informs the researchers that discrimination is significantly associated with greater

psychological impact of the pandemic and higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression while

having a perception of good health status and confidence in doctors’ abilities were significantly
associated with lesser psychological impact of the pandemic and lower levels of stress, anxiety

and depression.

(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444468/)