Relief during the pandemic?
The second presentation was given by Sara Simblett, PhD, department of psychology, King’s College London, who described the Coronavirus Outbreak Psychological Experiences study.
This was a two-part investigation in which 31 semistructured interviews with users of mental health services and carers formed the basis of a qualitative survey. It examined the impact of the pandemic on thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and life situations.
The survey was advertised via social media and mental health charities, yielding a total of 1,402 responses. These included responses from 968 individuals who had experience of a mental health condition. Of these, 266 were currently using mental health services, and 189 were informal carers.
Of those, 46.8% met the case threshold for anxiety, 40.3% met the threshold for depression, and 45.3% were determined to have “low resilience.”
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered poorer mental health in the majority of respondents, at 60.8% among those with a preexisting mental health condition and 64.1% among informal carers.
This was reflected in 95.3% of respondents saying that things were uncertain, 81.3% saying they felt restricted by the pandemic, and 71.9% saying that their day was less structured.
However, the survey also revealed that 79.8% felt relieved during the pandemic, 82.1% said that their memory was “much better,” and 62.9% found it easier to concentrate and make plans.
In addition, many people turned to coping mechanisms; 74.7% looked to religion and spirituality as a source of support, and 64.2% used health and wellness apps.
The COVID-19 Social Study is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Nuffield Foundation. The Coronavirus Outbreak Psychological Experiences study is a collaboration with the McPin Foundation. The investigators and commentators reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.