Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effects of stay-at-home policies, social distancing behavior, and social resources.

ABSTRACT: Social distancing is the most visible public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its implications for mental health are unknown. In a nationwide online sample of 435 U.S. adults, conducted in March 2020 as the pandemic accelerated and states implemented stay-at-home orders, we examined whether stay-at-home orders and individuals' personal distancing behavior were associated with symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), intrusive thoughts, insomnia, and acute stress. Stay-at-home order status and personal distancing were independently associated with higher symptoms, beyond protective effects of available social resources (social support and social network size). A subsample of 118 participants who had completed symptom measures earlier in the outbreak (February

SUBMITTER: Marroquin B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7439968 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature