A cross-sectional survey of activities to support mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aanchel Gupta; Joseph H Puyat; Harmanpreet Ranote; Fidel Vila-Rodriguez; Arminee Kazanjian

doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100167

A cross-sectional survey of activities to support mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

J Affect Disord Rep. 2021 Jul:5:100167. doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100167. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Authors

Aanchel Gupta^{1

2}, Joseph H Puyat^{1

2}, Harmanpreet Ranote¹, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez³, Arminee Kazanjian²

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
² School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
³ Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health restrictions such as social distancing, isolation and self-quarantine have been implemented for several months. Because of these restrictions, in-person contact with friends, family, and mental health supports had been limited, potentially impacting mental wellbeing.

Objectives: In this study, we examined the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of adults and investigated the types of activities people engage in to manage and maintain their mental health.

Methods: An online survey was circulated in Canada and had a total of 221 participants from September 24 to December 8, 2020.

Results: The majority of participants were females (73.2%), between the ages of 18 and 34 (51.1%), and employed full-time (56.1%). Individuals who are unemployed and those with an annual income less than $25,000 had the highest scores in depression, anxiety and psychological distress. Around 19.4% of the sample scored above the cutpoint for depression, which is higher compared to a pre-pandemic population prevalence of 4.7%. Similarly, higher prevalence of anxiety and distress symptoms were observed: 16.3% of the sample had moderate anxiety symptoms compared to a pre-pandemic population prevalence of 11.6%; and 37.7% of the sample had moderate distress symptoms compared to a pre-pandemic population prevalence of 20%.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of many adults and that individuals engage in a wide range of activities that may maintain and promote mental wellness during the pandemic, such as exercising, reading, and listening to music.

Keywords: Activities; Covid-19; Exercise; Mental health; Pandemic; Survey.