Please report any queries concerning the funding data grouped in the sections named "Externally Awarded" or "Internally Disbursed" (shown on the profile page) to
your Research Finance Administrator. Your can find your Research Finance Administrator at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/finance/research/rs-contacts.php by entering your department
Please report any queries concerning the student data shown on the profile page to:
Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
Publication Detail
How are adversities during COVID-19 affecting mental health? Differential associations for worries and experiences and implications for policy
-
Publication Type:Working discussion paper
-
Authors:Wright L, Steptoe A, Fancourt D
-
Publication date:19/05/2020
-
Status:Published
Abstract
Importance
Multiple data sources suggest that COVID-19 is having adverse effects on mental health. But it is vital to understand what is causing this: worries over potential adversities due to the pandemic, or the toll of experiencing adverse events.Objective
To explore the time-varying longitudinal relationship between (i) worries about adversity, and (ii) experience of adversity, and both anxiety and depression and test the moderating role of socio-economic position.Design
Longitudinal cohort studySetting
Community studyParticipants
A well-stratified sample of UK adults recruited into the UCL COVID -19 Social Study (a panel study collecting data weekly during the Covid-19 pandemic) via a combination of convenience and targeted recruitment. The sample was weighted to population proportions of gender, age, ethnicity, education and geographical location.Exposures
Worries or experiences of adversities during the COVID-19 pandemicOutcomes
Anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9)Results
Data were analysed from 41,909 UK adults (weighted data: 51% female, aged 18-99) followed up across 6 weeks (178,430 observations). Using fixed effects regression was used to explore within-person variation over time, cumulative number of worries and experience of adversities were both related to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Number of worries were associated more with anxiety than depression, but number of experiences were equally related to anxiety and depression. Individuals of lower socio-economic position were more negatively affected psychologically by adverse experiences.Conclusions & relevance
Measures over the first few weeks of lockdown in the UK appear to have been insufficient at reassuring people given we are still seeing clear associations with poor mental health both for cumulative worries and also for a range of specific worries relating to finance, access to essentials, personal safety and COVID-19. Interventions are required that both seek to prevent adverse events (e.g. redundancies) and that reassure individuals and support adaptive coping strategies.Key points
Question
How do worries over potential adversities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or the toll of experiencing adverse events affect mental health?Findings
Cumulative number of worries and experience of adversities were both related to higher levels of anxiety and depression during COVID-19, especially amongst individuals of lower socio-economic position.Meaning
During a pandemic, interventions are required that both seek to prevent adverse events (e.g. redundancies) and that reassure individuals and support adaptive coping strategies.› More search options
UCL Researchers