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Jinyoung Hwang
Christopher Calhoun
English 1201
30 March 2021
Literature Review
With the current pandemic, everyone was forced to make changes and one of the
more prominent change was the social distancing. Although we have to go through with
it for everyone’s sake, is social distancing affecting the mental health of people and if so,
how? Since everyone is affected, it is important to inform ourselves of its effects.
The COVID-19 breaking out has caused the social distancing to be implemented
to decrease the number of cases and deaths and to avoid overcrowding the health care
systems. Although the world has had previous cases of pandemics and social isolation,
for many under lockdown and the people who have not gone through it before, the
consequences of this strategy are not all clear and known (Carvalho Aguiar Melo et al.
625).
It is in agreeance that social distancing has risks of negative consequences related
to loneliness and isolation (Baker et al. 234). Furthermore, the need of social distancing
lead to many things such as the closures of schools, unemployment, the need to work
from home and the reduced access to hospitals (Fegert 3).
In late March 2020, stay-at-home orders were implemented and the people who
had to follow those orders were associated with more symptoms of depression, GAD
(generalized anxiety disorder), acute stress, and insomnia. For people who engaged in
personal social distancing behavior which meant avoiding actions which would risk
spreading the virus such as shaking hands or visiting someone, they were associated with
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more symptoms of depression, GAD, acute stress, and intrusive thoughts (Marroquín et
al.).
According to “Predictors of Mental Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the
US: Role of Economic Concerns, Health Worries and Social Distancing.”, in March, the
symptoms of depression and anxiety were mainly increasing due to the economic
concerns caused by the pandemic and the social distancing. During this this early stage of
the pandemic, although still present, the worries of getting infected and the practices of
social distancing played a lesser role than the economic concerns (Kämpfen 9).
Economic stress has been associated with an increased rate of many mental
disorders, substance-related disorders, and suicidal behaviors. It has also been associated
with an increase in domestic violence. Quarantine also increases their stress level as it
can lead to decreased amounts of freedom and privacy. Children being exposed to
domestic violence negatively affects their mental health. Especially during the pandemic,
the lack of child protection services increases the risk for the children (Fegert 3-4).
The current information show that the pandemic and social distancing has caused
negative impact on people’s mental health, but there is not enough information to
determine its effects on the long term.
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Works Cited
Baker, Edward, and Louise L. Clark. “Biopsychopharmacosocial Approach to Assess
Impact of Social Distancing and Isolation on Mental Health in Older Adults.”
British Journal of Community Nursing, vol. 25, no. 5, May 2020, pp. 231–238.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.12968/bjcn.2020.25.5.231. Accessed 30 March 2021.
Carvalho Aguiar Melo, Matias, and Douglas de Sousa Soares. “Impact of Social
Distancing on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Urgent
Discussion.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry, vol. 66, no. 6, Sept. 2020,
pp. 625–626. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0020764020927047. Accessed 30 March
2021.
Fegert, Jörg M., et al. “Challenges and Burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
Pandemic for Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Narrative Review to
Highlight Clinical and Research Needs in the Acute Phase and the Long Return to
Normality.” Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, vol. 14, no. 1, May
2020, pp. 1–11. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s13034-020-00329-3. Accessed 30
March 2021.
Kämpfen, Fabrice, et al. “Predictors of Mental Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic in
the US: Role of Economic Concerns, Health Worries and Social Distancing.”
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PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 11, Nov. 2020, pp. 1–13. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0241895. Accessed 30 March 2021.
Marroquín, Brett, et al. “Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects of Stay-
at-Home Policies, Social Distancing Behavior, and Social Resources.” Psychiatry
Research, vol. 293, Nov. 2020, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113419. Accessed 30 March 2021.
