Lockdown raised mental health challenges – study

CORONAVIRUS and lockdown measures significantly raised mental health challenges, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, a study has found.

The research, by the University of Bath and published in the journal American Psychologist, is the first to examine people’s coping styles in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It drew on survey responses from more than 800 people recruited online who answered questions over a 10-day period from April 17 to 26, when the UK was in full lockdown.

Results found that a quarter of those who took part had significantly elevated anxiety and depression, exacerbated by lockdown and isolation.

Almost 15% of participants reached clinical levels of health anxiety, which focuses on the fear of having or contracting a serious illness despite medical reassurance.

Reaching clinical levels means their health anxiety had become distressing and was likely to be causing disruption to normal activities.

Dr Hannah Rettie, from the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology, said: “People have been unsure when they would see relatives again, job security has been rocked, there is an increased threat to many people’s health, and government guidance is continuously changing, leading to much uncertainty and anxiety.

“What our research focused on is how some individuals have struggled to tolerate and adapt to these uncertainties.”