ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9404-9109
Current Organisations
The University of Auckland
,
Wake Forest School of Medicine
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Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 23-06-2020
Abstract: New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020 was among the world's most stringent. Similar to other countries, New Zealand's lockdown occurred amidst pervasive health and economic uncertainties. However, New Zealanders experienced comparatively less psychological distress. To test theories of pandemic distress mitigation, we use national longitudinal responses with pre-COVID-19 baselines and systematically quantify psychological distress trajectories within the same in iduals during the lockdown (pre-COVID-19 = 2018/2019 stringent-lockdown = March/April 2020 N = 940). Most distress indicators were minimally elevated. However, there was a three-fold increase in feelings of worthlessness. Neither satisfaction with the government, nor business-satisfaction, nor a sense of neighbourhood community were effective distress defences. Perceived social-belonging and health-satisfaction mitigated feelings of worthlessness. A silver lining was a relief from feelings of effort, which social-belonging fostered. That social-belonging and health satisfaction could quell serious distress among those low in government confidence, low in business satisfaction, and low neighbourhood community proves that distress mitigation is possible without shifting a population's general political, economic, and civic attitudes. Protection of income and containment of infectious disease threat reduces mental health burdens. Though feelings of worthlessness surge during lockdown, such feelings attenuate from interpersonal belonging with people one already knows.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 26-06-2020
Abstract: Research indicates COVID-19 lockdowns elevated psychological distress. Here, we leverage national panel data before and during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown to clarify distress buffers (2018/2020, N = 940). To distinguish lockdown-related distress from natural disasters, we investigate distress dynamics following the Christchurch earthquakes (2011, N = 6,806). During lockdown, there were small increases in hopelessness, restlessness, and nervousness, and substantial increases in worthlessness. A sense of neighbourhood community became decoupled from this distress, which high levels of social belonging and health satisfaction did not prevent. A silver lining was a relief from feelings of effort fostered by social belonging. By contrast, the Christchurch earthquakes increased all distress indicators and distress buffers performed consistently. We infer that losses of employment and social routines during New Zealand’s lockdown, in a setting of government income and health protections, precipitated bittersweet mental health dynamics. That certain pandemic mental health burdens are avoidable has applied interest.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 18-09-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.15.20194829
Abstract: We leverage powerful time-series data from a national longitudinal s le measured before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the world’s eighth most stringent COVID-19 lockdown (New Zealand, March-April 2020, N = 940) and apply Bayesian multilevel mediation models to rigorously test five theories of pandemic distress. Findings: (1) during lockdown, rest diminished distress without rest psychological distress would have been ~ 1.74 times greater (2) an elevated sense of community reduced distress, a little, but elevated government satisfaction was inert. Thus, the psychological benefits of lockdown extended to political discontents (3) most lockdown distress arose from dissatisfaction from personal relationships. Social captivity, more than isolation, proved challenging (4-5) Health and business satisfaction were stable were they challenged substantially more distress would have ensued. Thus, lockdown benefited psychological health by affording safety, yet only because income remained secure. These national longitudinal findings clarify the mental health effects of stringent infectious disease containment.
No related grants have been discovered for Benjamin Highland.