Approximate reading time: 8 minutes

As we reflect on the COVID 19 pandemic, it’s crucial to acknowledge the profound psychological impacts of the lockdowns. This period was marked by significant changes and challenges for many. Let’s explore these effects, supported by scientific findings, to better understand how they might have influenced our mental health.

Grief and Loss During the Pandemic

The pandemic brought about unprecedented challenges, particularly in terms of grief and loss. Different groups experienced this grief in unique ways. The 2SLGBTQIA+ community, for instance, faced not only the loss of loved ones but also significant disruptions to their social connections and support systems, deeply affecting their sense of identity and belonging (Lucas et al., 2022). Parents who suffered miscarriages or infant deaths during the pandemic encountered heightened risks of prolonged and complicated grief, largely due to restricted access to essential bereavement care (Cena et al., 2022). These experiences underline the pandemic’s far-reaching effects on mental health and well-being.

Impact of Bereavement and Loss

The psychological impact of these losses was profound. Bereaved individuals often experienced intense psychological symptoms, including prolonged grief, depression, anxiety, and functional impairments (Reitsma et al., 2023). The stressors of the pandemic, including the grief of losing loved ones, were significantly linked to mental health issues like PTSD and cognitive deficits (Kira et al., 2021). The Pandemic Grief Scale was developed to identify cases of dysfunctional grief related to COVID 19 losses, highlighting the need for timely and holistic support for those grieving (Lee & Neimeyer, 2020).

Anxiety and Depression During Lockdown: The lockdowns also brought a notable increase in anxiety and depression. Individuals with pre-existing depressive symptoms were particularly vulnerable, experiencing more fear, anxiety, and sadness, exacerbated by disrupted daily routines and sleep patterns (Martinelli et al., 2021). The overall impact on mental health was small, but the effects on anxiety and depression were significant (Prati & Mancini, 2021).

Psychological Distress and Stress Factors

The lockdowns also led to increased psychological distress. Factors like self-stigma, social support, and perceived control played significant roles in this distress (Gan et al., 2020). Avsec et al. (2021) further explained that the distress was linked to diminished psychological functioning due to decreased satisfaction of basic psychological needs (Avsec et al., 2021).

Alcohol and Drug Abuse during Lockdown

During the COVID 19 lockdown, there was a noticeable increase in alcohol and drug abuse. Studies have shown that this period saw a rise in hazardous alcohol use and likely dependence, particularly among those under lockdown compared to those not facing such restrictions (Killgore, Cloonan, Taylor, Lucas, & Dailey, 2020). Additionally, 26.4% of the population increased their alcohol consumption during the lockdown, with older individuals, those working from home, and higher educated individuals being more likely to increase consumption (Schmits & Glowacz, 2021). The lockdown also led to a steady increase in alcohol and illicit drug use, with reports indicating a rise from 38.6% to 50.9% for alcohol, and 3.5% to 10.7% for illicit drug use (Sanaka, Garg, Patel, McMichael, & Macaron, 2022). These findings highlight the significant impact of lockdown measures on substance abuse behaviours.

Gender-Specific Impacts of Lockdown

Interestingly, the impacts of lockdowns varied across genders. Female-identified people showed more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and experienced greater loneliness compared to male-identified people (Ausín et al., 2020; Gopal et al., 2020).

Unexpected Benefits of Lockdown

While the lockdowns were challenging for many, they offered unexpected benefits for specific groups. Introverts, for example, found the shift to virtual learning to be a positive change, providing a more comfortable learning environment (Sanudin, Rahmat, Chee Din, & Akeb-urai, 2022). Neurodiverse adolescents experienced little change in mental health problems and feelings of loneliness during school lockdowns, suggesting that the usual school environment might be more challenging for them than for neurotypical individuals (Houghton et al., 2022). Extraverts, despite missing social interactions, found relaxation and positive aspects in the slower pace of life during lockdown (Weiß, Rodrigues, & Hewig, 2020).

Increased Violence During COVID 19 Lockdown

The COVID 19-related lockdown increased violence against women, with psychological abuse being the most frequent type; those who experienced abuse before the lockdown were at an increased risk of violence during lockdown (Sediri et al., 2020). Forced coexistence during lockdown periods exacerbated situations of violence against women in the home (Sdao et al., 2021)

Family Violence and Abuse During Lockdown

The lockdowns also had profound and complex effects on family dynamics, particularly in the context of family violence and child abuse. There was a notable increase in family violence and child maltreatment cases. Lockdowns and movement restrictions severely limited victims’ ability to seek social services or escape violent relationships, exacerbating the situation (Abdullah, Cudjoe, Ryu, & Emery, 2021). This was coupled with a sharp rise in accessing domestic abuse support services and an increase in child and adolescent violence towards parents (Christie, Hiscox, Halligan, & Creswell, 2022). The prevalence of family violence, physical violence, emotional abuse, and neglect increased significantly, with most victims not seeking official help (Zhang, Li, Shi, Dong, & Wang, 2021). This situation was described as a “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence and child abuse, necessitating increased awareness and public scrutiny (Ravichandran, Shah, & Ravichandran, 2020).

Conversely, some studies noted a decrease in certain types of abuse, such as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect, although there was an increase in children witnessing domestic violence (Long, Huang, Peng, Mai, Yuan, & Yang, 2022). This paradoxical situation underscores the complexity of family dynamics under lockdown conditions and the varying impacts on different forms of abuse and violence.

Understanding the Psychological Impact of Lockdown

In summary, the lockdowns during the COVID 19 pandemic had various effects on our psychological well-being depending on our personality, neurodiverse status, family, and home circumstances. Understanding these effects is crucial in developing strategies to support mental health in similar future scenarios.