Due to the manner in which most countries have responded to the COVID-19, population confinement and social distancing have been used as methods to control the spread of the virus. However, while this may be effective in controlling the disease, alleviating stress of public health systems, and slowing down the spread of infection, the mental and psychological effects have been and will be significant. Students are under a lot of pressure in regards to academic performance and universities have often been criticised for the lack of support available prior to the current global crisis. Therefore, students have come to rely on their social networks as important buffers from stress. With lockdown measures in place, reduced social interaction, and general lack of social/community support, the newly arising mental health problems could have a very negative and wide spread effect on the student population.
Several studies have indicated as much. A study done at the University of Valladolid earlier this year found that over 50% of students reported moderate to extremely severe rates of depression, anxiety, and/or stress directly related to COVID-19 and lockdown. This study was conducted during March and April, at which point only 2 weeks of lockdown had occurred. Odriozola-González et al. compared their study to one conducted in Wuhan, China which also found similar results. This is highly indicative of the negative impacts that lockdown has and potentially will continue to have on academic progress.
Conduits of social support, the relationships we have with people will be affected in different ways. Students are often away from home in any case, so perhaps familial relationships won’t be so disrupted. But those with our peers, colleagues, lectures, friends, and lovers will be. Time, opportunity, and physical proximity are all important factors in fostering our social bonds – with the lack of face-to-face interactions and spontaneous meetings this becomes increasingly difficult. Along with the stresses of the current crisis (economic, physical health, etc.), the lowering of mental health has and could continue to have devastating effects. The social networks of students and their mental health should not be understood as independent of one another.
That being said, there are interesting ways to look at the potential mental health epidemic. A study conducted several years ago argued that loneliness could be “caught” from other people, offering the notion that it is contagious. When people become more lonely, they move to the edge of their social network which in turn creates almost a domino effect. In order to reduce loneliness, Cacioppo et al. argue that by aggressively targeting those on the outer margin of their social networks, a protective barrier of sorts can be created in order to safeguard the entirety of the social network. Additionally, it has often been stated that those who report higher levels of loneliness have higher levels of trust issues. This creates a vicious cycles of social isolation and loneliness. Therefore, social networks and maintaining those structures becomes vital for our mental well-being.
Not only is there a mental well-being aspect in maintaining our social interactions and groups, a study in 2015 by Cole et al. argues that loneliness may have detrimental effects to our physical well-being. People who reported high levels of loneliness were found to have higher biomarkers of inflammation, with a reduction in anti-viral genes and an increase in the activity of their inflammatory genes. Additionally, their sympathetic nervous system was overly active – predominantly their HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis (responsible for governing the bodies hormonal response to stress) showed an increase in activity. Arguably this could be a result of evolution. In the past, feelings of loneliness would have meant you were away from your group and thus at risk. If this state of being is prolonged, severe long term effects can be had on mood and stress response.
Moreover, studies have been indicative of the fact that loneliness can alter the manner in which we think. Problems with executive functioning, cognitive functioning, and attention can all be linked to loneliness. It has also been found that those who reported loneliness for over 10 years were 40% more likely to develop dementia.
Therefore, maintaining our social connections can be key in potentially undoing the negative effects of loneliness and lockdown. This doesn’t have to be deep and meaningful connections, it can also include saying hi to a stranger or a neighbour (from a safe distance of course). Our social connections have the ability to provide us with comfort and increase our resilience to trauma and stress. Our relationships can help to create a context in which we find purpose and meaning to life. It’s too easy in the current climate to question ourselves and what it is that we are doing. To lessen the ever daunting load of existential ennui that may be shadowing our lives at the moment, we must remember to be kind to one another, to not treat or see people as a disease or diseased, to have patience and grace, and to reach out. Reach out for yourself, your family, your neighbour, your friend. A little wave or a short phone call or a planned online games evening can do a lot to boost morale and send comfort to someone who may have needed it more than you could have known.
Though utterly worrying, the effects of lockdown on our mental health is something we should be aware of. Now more than ever it is vital that we lead with love and lightness in everything we do.
If you are suffering or feeling lonely, there are many ways to reach out for human connection. There will be a list below of various organisations you can get in touch with if you are struggling at the moment. And if nothing else, please feel free to reach out to us @lookingafterleeds! Either via Instagram or through WordPress.
Leeds Mind:
Home
MindWell:
Samaritans:
Call: 116 123
References:
- Cacioppo, J.T., Fowler, J.H. and Christakis, N.A. (2009). Alone in the crowd: The structure and spread of loneliness in a large social network. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, [online] 97(6), pp.977–991. Available at: http://jenni.uchicago.edu/Spencer_Conference/Representative%20Papers/Cacioppo_paper_Spencer_09.pdf.
- Cole, S.W., Capitanio, J.P., Chun, K., Arevalo, J.M.G., Ma, J. and Cacioppo, J.T. (2015). Myeloid differentiation architecture of leukocyte transcriptome dynamics in perceived social isolation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 112(49), pp.15142–15147. Available at: https://www.pnas.org/content/112/49/15142.
- Elmer, T., Mepham, K. and Stadtfeld, C. (2020). Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PLOS ONE, 15(7), p.e0236337.
- Odriozola-González, P., Planchuelo-Gómez, Á., Irurtia, M.J. and de Luis-García, R. (2020). Psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown among students and workers of a Spanish university. Psychiatry Research, 290, p.113108.
- Walton, A.G. (n.d.). 7 Ways Loneliness (And Connectedness) Affect Mental Health. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/10/30/7-ways-loneliness-and-connectedness-affect-mental-health/?sh=2eb3c0efe1dc [Accessed 30 Oct. 2020].
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