Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 4;15(11):e0241658. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241658. eCollection 2020.
New Zealand's early response to the novel coronavirus pandemic included a strict lockdown which eliminated community transmission of COVID-19. However, this success was not without cost, both economic and social. In our study, we examined the psychological wellbeing of New Zealanders during the COVID-19 lockdown when restrictions reduced social contact, limited recreation opportunities, and resulted in job losses and financial insecurity. We conducted an online panel survey of a demographically representative sample of 2010 adult New Zealanders in April 2020. The survey contained three standardised measures-the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), the GAD-7, and the Well-Being Index (WHO-5)-as well as questions designed specifically to measure family violence, suicidal ideation, and alcohol consumption. It also included items assessing positive aspects of the lockdown. Thirty percent of respondents reported moderate to severe psychological distress (K10), 16% moderate to high levels of anxiety, and 39% low wellbeing; well above baseline measures. Poorer outcomes were seen among young people and those who had lost jobs or had less work, those with poor health status, and who had past diagnoses of mental illness. Suicidal ideation was reported by 6%, with 2% reporting making plans for suicide and 2% reporting suicide attempts. Suicidality was highest in those aged 18-34. Just under 10% of participants had directly experienced some form of family harm over the lockdown period. However, not all consequences of the lockdown were negative, with 62% reporting 'silver linings', which included enjoying working from home, spending more time with family, and a quieter, less polluted environment. New Zealand's lockdown successfully eliminated COVID-19 from the community, but our results show this achievement brought a significant psychological toll. Although much of the debate about lockdown measures has focused on their economic effects, our findings emphasise the need to pay equal attention to their effects on psychological wellbeing.
新西兰对新冠病毒大流行的早期反应包括严格的封锁措施，从而消除了 COVID-19 在社区的传播。然而，这种成功并非没有代价，无论是经济上还是社会上。在我们的研究中，我们调查了新西兰人在 COVID-19 封锁期间的心理健康状况，当时的限制措施减少了社交接触、限制了娱乐机会，并导致失业和经济不稳定。我们于 2020 年 4 月对 2010 名具有代表性的成年新西兰人进行了在线小组调查。该调查包含三个标准化的衡量标准——Kessler 心理困扰量表（K10）、GAD-7 和幸福指数（WHO-5），以及专门用于衡量家庭暴力、自杀意念和酒精消费的问题。它还包括评估封锁期间积极方面的项目。30%的受访者报告中度至重度心理困扰（K10），16%报告中度至高度焦虑，39%报告幸福感低；均高于基线水平。年轻人和失业或工作减少的人、健康状况较差的人和有过精神疾病诊断的人，其结果更差。报告有自杀意念的人占 6%，其中 2%报告有自杀计划，2%报告有自杀企图。自杀意念在 18-34 岁的人群中最高。在封锁期间，近 10%的参与者直接经历过某种形式的家庭伤害。然而，封锁并非全是负面影响，有 62%的人报告了“一线希望”，包括喜欢在家工作、与家人共度更多时间、以及更安静、污染更少的环境。新西兰的封锁成功地消除了社区中的 COVID-19，但我们的研究结果表明，这一成就带来了巨大的心理代价。尽管关于封锁措施的讨论主要集中在其经济影响上，但我们的发现强调需要同等关注其对心理健康的影响。
