ArticleThe Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry2022
Psychological distress, loneliness, alcohol use and suicidality in New Zealanders with mental illness during a strict COVID-19 lockdown.
Article in The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Financial Disruption and Psychological Underpinning During COVID-19: A Review and Research Agenda.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Suicide prevented or delayed? Suicide rates during North Carolina's stay-at-home order.Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention · 2025Article
- Not heading in the right direction: Five hundred psychiatrists' views on resourcing, demand, and workforce across New Zealand mental health services.The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- Article
- The COVID Psychosocial Impacts Scale: A Reliable and Valid Tool to Examine the Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Mental Health Client Experiences of Telehealth in Aotearoa New Zealand During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons and Implications.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Article
- Examining the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: an international cross-sectional study protocol.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Experiences of the COVID-19 Lockdown and Telehealth in Aotearoa New Zealand: Lessons and Insights from Mental Health Clinicians.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Prevalence and associated risk factors for mental health problems among young adults in Fiji Island during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown and Wellbeing: Experiences from Aotearoa New Zealand in 2020.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Risk factors of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of coping style and emotional regulation.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Article
- Article
- "Moving on to an Open World": A Study of Participants' Experience in Meaningful Activities and Recovery (MA&R).Occupational therapy international · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPeople with pre-existing mental health conditions may have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health restrictions. In this study, we compared psychological outcomes, experiences and sources of stress over the pandemic lockdown in New Zealanders with and without a previous diagnosis of mental illness.
methodsTwo online surveys were conducted in New Zealand over the level 4 lockdown in April 2020 measuring psychological distress, anxiety, well-being, suicidality, alcohol use and subjective experiences. They included 3389 participants, of whom 18.4% reported having been previously diagnosed with a mental illness.
resultsDuring the lockdown, people previously diagnosed with a mental illness had about twice the risk of reporting moderate-high levels of psychological distress (K10 ⩾ 12), at least moderate levels of anxiety (GAD-7 ⩾ 10) and poor well-being (WHO-5 ⩽ 12). They reported increased alcohol use and were about four times as likely to have experienced suicidal thoughts with 3% reporting having made a suicide attempt over the lockdown period. They reported less satisfaction with, and poorer relationships with people in their 'bubble', reduced social contacts and greater loneliness. They also reported higher levels of health and financial concerns.
conclusionDuring the COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand, people with a previous diagnosis of a mental illness were at increased risk of detrimental psychological outcomes. This highlights the importance of recognising this and the challenges people face in pandemics.
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