Citation

Aknin LB, De Neve JE, Dunn EW, Fancourt DE, Goldberg E, Helliwell JF, Jones SP, Karam E, Layard R, Lyubomirsky S, Rzepa A, Saxena S, Thornton EM, Vanderweele TJ, Whillans AV, Zaki J, Karadag O, Ben Amor Y. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 2022; 17(4): 915-936.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Association for Psychological Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1177/17456916211029964

PMID

35044275

PMCID

PMC9274782

Abstract

COVID-19 has infected millions of people and upended the lives of most humans on the planet. Researchers from across the psychological sciences have sought to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 in myriad ways, causing an explosion of research that is broad in scope, varied in methods, and challenging to consolidate. Because policy and practice aimed at helping people live healthier and happier lives requires insight from robust patterns of evidence, this article provides a rapid and thorough summary of high-quality studies available through early 2021 examining the mental-health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our review of the evidence indicates that anxiety, depression, and distress increased in the early months of the pandemic. Meanwhile, suicide rates, life satisfaction, and loneliness remained largely stable throughout the first year of the pandemic. In response to these insights, we present seven recommendations (one urgent, two short-term, and four ongoing) to support mental health during the pandemic and beyond.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; mental health; COVID-19; suicide; psychological distress; Mental Health; self-harm; Loneliness; loneliness; subjective well-being; SARS-CoV-2; social connection; Pandemics