Lockdowns may not have been as bad for mental health as we thought

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-02-17 06:00

Australia; International; TAS

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

COVID-19 death rates and fear related to the pandemic may have been a more important driver of poor mental health in the UK during the pandemic than lockdowns, according to Aussie and international researchers. The team used results from a British wellbeing survey taken throughout multiple pandemic waves and lockdowns through 2020 and 2021 to try and separate the mental health impacts of lockdowns specifically from the case numbers that cause them. They then compared these results with Google search data from other English-speaking countries, including Australia and New Zealand. The researchers say that while wellbeing tended to decrease sharply at the beginning of a lockdown, this trend often reversed within a few weeks, suggesting the reduced risk of harm from the virus as a result of a lockdown has a positive impact on wellbeing, compared to when the virus is spreading unchecked.