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Cited by 280COVID-19 and Mental HealthMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumCOVID-19 Prevention and Impact

Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Young Adults Most at Risk

Open access
Glowacz, F., Schmits, E.·2020·Psychiatry Research
DOI 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113486PMC PMC7518205
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Abstract

To control the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented restrictions. This study evaluates psychological distress related to the crisis and identifies predictive factors of anxiety/depression according to age. 2,871 adults were recruited through an online questionnaire during the lockdown. Three subsamples were identified: 18-30; 30-50; > 50 years. The population suffers from anxiety and depression. Young adults adu reported lower levels of living space, occupational activity, social contact and alcohol use, but higher anxiety, depression and uncertainty than older participants. This psychological distress can be explained by lockdown conditions (differently according to age) and by intolerance to uncertainty. Also, youth's alcohol intake has decreased. Deconfinement strategies have been discussed.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113486

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  • Young adults, particularly those aged 18 to 30, experienced the greatest negative effects during the pandemic.

    “Previous studies (Beam and Kim, 2020; Glowacz and Schmits, 2020; Houghton et al., 2022) point out that young adults, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 30, have been the group to experience the greatest negative effects during the pandemic”

    From Social connections combat loneliness and promote wellbeing among college students coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic (2025) · cites this paper as Glowacz and Schmits, 2020

    The Abstract reports that 18–30-year-olds had higher anxiety and depression than older participants during lockdown, and the Discussion describes them as especially vulnerable. The study concerns psychological distress during lockdown; it does not establish that young adults experienced the greatest negative effects of the pandemic overall. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Young adults were the most at risk of psychological distress during the pandemic in several countries.

    “several studies showed that young adults were the most at risk of psychological distress in different countries such as India, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iran, and Belgium (e.g., [13,16,30,31]).”

    From At the Peak of the Second Wave of COVID-19, Did Millennials Show Different Emotional Responses from Older Adults? (2022) · cites this paper as [16]

    The Abstract reports higher anxiety and depression among young adults than older participants, and the Discussion describes 18–30-year-olds as especially vulnerable. The Methods (Participants) show that the sample was predominantly in Belgium, with some participants in other French-speaking countries. This paper does not establish the stated finding for India, Spain, Portugal, Italy, or Iran. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Intolerance of uncertainty is a significant predictor of anxiety and depression and, more generally, of negative emotions in the context of the pandemic.

    “intolerance to uncertainty is a significant predictor of anxiety and depression [15,16] and, more generally, of negative emotions [8].”

    From At the Peak of the Second Wave of COVID-19, Did Millennials Show Different Emotional Responses from Older Adults? (2022) · cites this paper as [16]

    The Results (page not available in our copy) show that intolerance of uncertainty was significantly associated with both anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 lockdown. But the citation to this paper is attached to the broader claim about negative emotions; the paper measured anxiety and depression, not negative emotions generally. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to have a major impact on psychological stress levels.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic, which is an acute global challenge and has been shown to have a major impact on psychological stress levels, e.g., [10,11], also highlights the need for mental health treatments.”

    From Promoting Recovery from Disasters, Pandemics, and Trauma: A Systematic Review of Brief Psychological Interventions to Reduce Distress in Adults, Children, and Adolescents (2023) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Uncertainty inherent to the COVID-19 health situation partly explains its negative psychological consequences.

    “The aforementioned negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could be partly explained by the uncertainty inherent to the health situation (e.g., course of the pandemic and length of the disease) [15,16].”

    From At the Peak of the Second Wave of COVID-19, Did Millennials Show Different Emotional Responses from Older Adults? (2022) · cites this paper as [16]

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Authors
Glowacz, F., & Schmits, E.
Affiliations
University of Liège (BE)
Corresponding author
Glowacz, F.
ORCID
Glowacz, F.
Venue
Psychiatry Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-11
Volume
293
Pages
113486
ISSN
0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113486
PMC
PMC7518205
OpenAlex
W3088359950
Cited by
280
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 77
FWCI
20.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › COVID-19 Prevention and Impact
Keywords
COVID-19 lockdown, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, young adults, age differences, intolerance of uncertainty, alcohol consumption, social contact, living space, occupational activity, deconfinement, predictive factors
MeSH terms
Betacoronavirus, Psychological Distress, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Quarantine, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Stress, Psychological, Coronavirus Infections, Young Adult, Pandemics

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