Mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal analyses of adults in the UK COVID-19 Mental Health & Wellbeing study
Open accessAbstract
Background: The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the population's mental health and well-being are likely to be profound and long lasting. Aims: To investigate the trajectory of mental health and well-being during the first 6 weeks of lockdown in adults in the UK. Method: A quota survey design and a sampling frame that permitted recruitment of a national sample was employed. Findings for waves 1 (31 March to 9 April 2020), 2 (10 April to 27 April 2020) and 3 (28 April to 11 May 2020) are reported here. A range of mental health factors was assessed: pre-existing mental health problems, suicide attempts and self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, defeat, entrapment, mental well-being and loneliness. Results: A total of 3077 adults in the UK completed the survey at wave 1. Suicidal ideation increased over time. Symptoms of anxiety, and levels of defeat and entrapment decreased across waves whereas levels of depressive symptoms did not change significantly. Positive well-being also increased. Levels of loneliness did not change significantly over waves. Subgroup analyses showed that women, young people (18–29 years), those from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds and those with pre-existing mental health problems have worse mental health outcomes during the pandemic across most factors. Conclusions: The mental health and well-being of the UK adult population appears to have been affected in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increasing rates of suicidal thoughts across waves, especially among young adults, are concerning.
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Surveys of adults conducted across the globe reveal increased emotional problems during the strictest lockdowns and physical distancing mandates.
“Indeed, surveys of adults conducted across the globe reveal increased emotional problems during the strictest lockdowns and physical distancing mandates (Abdalla et al., 2021, Dawel et al., 2020, O’Connor et al., 2021)”
From Young Adult Adaptability to the Social Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Protective Role of Friendships (2022) · cites this paper as O’Connor et al., 2021
The Background (page not provided) reports elevated mental-health problems in studies from China and deterioration in an earlier UK survey. This paper’s UK survey found increasing suicidal ideation during lockdown, but its Abstract Results report that anxiety decreased and depressive symptoms did not change significantly. It therefore supports concern about mental health during lockdown, not a general increase in emotional problems across the surveyed outcomes or across the globe. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredLockdowns and physical distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to elevated emotional distress and feelings of loneliness.
“Hence, lockdowns and physical distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to elevated emotional distress and feelings of loneliness.”
From Young Adult Adaptability to the Social Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Protective Role of Friendships (2022) · cites this paper as O’Connor et al., 2021
The Background says lockdown and COVID-19’s social and economic consequences are likely associated with loneliness, and it reports elevated distress in the pandemic’s early stages. It does not establish that lockdowns or physical distancing restrictions specifically contributed to the elevated distress; its statement about loneliness is framed as an association, not a causal finding. (LLM, conf=0.79)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOther studies have shown that college students and young people in general are particularly vulnerable for developing ill mental health during the pandemic.
“Other studies have also shown that college students and young people in general are particularly vulnerable for developing ill mental health during the pandemic,3 5 7 8”
From Changes in mental health problems and suicidal behaviour in students and their associations with COVID-19-related restrictions in Norway: a national repeated cross-sectional analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [3]
The Abstract (Results) and Discussion (Implications) report worse mental-health outcomes among young adults aged 18–29 during the pandemic. The paper does not establish the claim specifically for college students. Its Discussion (Limitations) also says the self-reported measures track symptoms rather than diagnosed mental illness. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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References 36 · Cited by 1,042
- Authors
- O'Connor, R. C., Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., McClelland, H., Melson, A. J., Niedzwiedz, C. L., O'Carroll, R. E., O'Connor, D. B., Platt, S., Scowcroft, E., Watson, B., Zortea, T., Ferguson, E., & Robb, K. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Glasgow (GB)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- ORCID
- Venue
- The British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2020-10-21
- Volume
- 218
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 326-333
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- PMC
- PMC7684009
- OpenAlex
- W3092471376
- Cited by
- 1,042
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 80 · 2024: 124 · 2023: 230 · 2022: 325 · 2021: 235 · 2020: 13 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 80.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- University of Leeds
- University of Nottingham
- University of Glasgow
- University of Stirling
- Medical Research Council (MR/R024774/1)
- 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 › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, mental health, well-being, lockdown, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, loneliness, defeat, entrapment, self-harm, suicide attempts, social deprivation, young adults, gender differences
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Communicable Disease Control, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Mental Health, Young Adult, Pandemics
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