Mental health and well-being during the second wave of COVID-19: longitudinal analyses of the UK COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing study (UK COVID-MH)

Wetherall, Karen; Cleare, Seonaid; McClelland, Heather; Melson, Ambrose J.; Niedzwiedz, Claire L.; O’Carroll, Ronan E.; O’Connor, Daryl B.; Platt, Steve; Scowcroft, Elizabeth; Watson, Billy; Zortea, Tiago; Ferguson, Eamonn; Robb, Kathryn A.; O’Connor, Rory C.

Abstract

Background
Waves 1 to 3 (March 2020 to May 2020) of the UK COVID-19 Mental Health & Wellbeing study suggested an improvement in some indicators of mental health across the first 6 weeks of the UK lockdown, however, suicidal ideation increased.

Aims
To report the prevalence of mental health and wellbeing of adults in the UK from March/April 2020 to February 2021.

Method
Quota sampling was employed at wave 1 (March/April 2020), and online surveys were conducted at 7 time-points. Primary analyses cover wave 4 (May/June 2020), wave 5 (July/August 2020), wave 6 (October 2020), and wave 7 (February 2021), including a period of increased restrictions in the UK. Mental health indicators were suicidal ideation, self-harm, suicide attempt, depression, anxiety, defeat, entrapment, loneliness and wellbeing.
Results
2691 (87.5% of wave 1) participated in at least one survey between waves 4 to 7. Depressive symptoms and loneliness increased from October 2020 to February 2021. Defeat and entrapment increased from July/August 2020 to October 2020 and remained elevated in February 2021. Wellbeing decreased from July/August 2020 to October 2020. Anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation did not change. Young adults, women, those socially disadvantaged, or with a mental health condition reported worse mental health.

Conclusions
The mental health and wellbeing of the UK population deteriorated from July/August 2020 to October 2020 and February 2021, a period coinciding with the second wave of COVID-19. Suicidal thoughts did not decrease significantly suggesting a need for continued vigilance as we recover from the pandemic.

Citation

Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., McClelland, H., Melson, A. J., Niedzwiedz, C. L., O’Carroll, R. E., O’Connor, D. B., Platt, S., Scowcroft, E., Watson, B., Zortea, T., Ferguson, E., Robb, K. A., & O’Connor, R. C. (2022). Mental health and well-being during the second wave of COVID-19: longitudinal analyses of the UK COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing study (UK COVID-MH). BJPsych Open, 8(4), Article e103. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.58

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 4, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jun 1, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 12, 2022
• Journal: BJPsych Open
• Electronic ISSN: 2056-4724
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: e103
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.58
• Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; general population; depression; suicidal ideation
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7755654
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-second-wave-of-covid19-longitudinal-analyses-of-the-uk-covid19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-study-uk-covidmh/3208C00F1E5850B339408F05A590E13F#article