At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision to deploy stay-at-home orders and other restrictions simultaneously sent community members across the nation into panic and medical professionals into a state of worry over public mental health.
But, new research conducted by the University of California, Irvine, has revealed that the first six months of pandemic-related restrictions were not actually linked to declining mental health.
What did increase feelings of loneliness, distress, and traumatic stress was extensive exposure to COVID-19-related news and media, as well as personal experiences with the virus.
These findings came as the result of two nationally representative surveys. The first was completed by over six thousand and five hundred U.S. adults between March 18, 2020, and April 18, 2020.
Then, nearly five thousand and six hundred of the same participants were surveyed a second time six months later, from September 16 to October 16.
The survey participants were asked to report their personal psychological responses to the pandemic, such as symptoms of traumatic stress, distress, and loneliness.
Additionally, those surveyed were asked whether or not they had been infected with the virus and how many hours of COVID-19-related news they consumed on a daily basis.
After collecting this data, the research team was able to compare participants’ responses against a plethora of federal data, including the rate of COVID-19 spread, stay-at-home orders, school closures, and more.
And interestingly, the comparison revealed that U.S. adults did experience increased feelings of loneliness and distress. However, these symptoms were not greatly related to state-level restrictions.
kegfire – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Rather, the amount of pandemic media that Americans were exposed to, as well as personal experiences with COVID-19, such as infection or loss, are what most significantly impacted mental health.
Survey participants were most likely to report experiencing poorer mental health during the first six months of the pandemic if they had been infected. Similarly, those who lost a loved one due to COVID-19 also suffered.
“Knowing someone who had been very sick or died was far more stressful than the presence of state-level restrictions,” said Rebecca Thompson, the study’s first author.
And as hourly exposure to news media about COVID-19 grew, feelings of distress only increased over time.
“For the first year of the pandemic, it was all bad news all the time. Repeated exposure to that content was unlikely to have psychological benefits,” explained Roxane Cohen Silver, the study’s senior author.
So, in the future, Silver advises community members to be aware of their news consumption and avoid “doomscrollng.”
“One can stay informed without becoming overwhelmed with a constant onslaught of bad news.”
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published by the American Psychological Association, visit the link here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe