EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING: SHORT-TERM PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON BRITISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

There are widespread concerns about the mental health implications of the pandemic, particularly among university students, an already at-risk population for poor mental health. This study looked at 1,281 UK university students, recruited through the Prolific website. Participants were asked to complete the Attitudes towards COVID-19 Scale, the CORE-10, the PERMA Profiler, the GAD-7 and the Office for National Statistics wellbeing questions (ONS4). The first survey was conducted between May 14th and 16th, when the UK was in national lockdown. The second survey was carried out between June 26th and July 15th. There was only an 11% attrition rate between the two time points. Well-being improved overall between the two time points. Some findings were contradictory as overall well-being, anxiety and levels of flourishing improved, but reports of psychological distress increased. It is also important to note that levels of positivity about the pandemic increased as time went on. There was evidence that higher levels of positivity were linked to better mental health outcomes. Encouraging a positive mindset and outlook in students, probably through positive psychology-based interventions, might act as a protective factor against severe mental illness. The wider relevance and practical implications for higher education are discussed.

European university students' mental health during Covid-19: Exploring attitudes towards Covid-19 and governmental response.

The effects of Covid-19 have been felt worldwide and one population that are of increasing concern are university students. University students have endured unique and drastic changes to their everyday and academic lives. It is important to understand how university students in different parts of the world have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and how it has affected their mental health? A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first wave of Covid-19, in May 2020 with 2,006 university students from the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain. Participants were recruited online and were asked to complete a series of standardised measures of psychological distress, anxiety, flourishing and wellbeing. Attitudes towards Covid-19 were measured using a new scale. The factor structure and reliability of this new scale was confirmed using this European sample. Results indicated that all university students were suffering from poor mental health, considerably below pre-pandemic norms. There were many geographical differences in the way that university students perceived the Covid19 pandemic, in terms of their fears, anxieties, loneliness and positivity. There were also significant mental health comparisons between students from the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain. Student beliefs that their government had provided effective leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic were strongly related to numerous mental health outcomes. A picture of university students' mental health is provided and discussed. Geographical comparisons are discussed, as are the implications for practice and future directions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-02854-0.

Loneliness and mental health at the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in England.

The current researchers carried out a large online survey on 18 March 2020 and unintentionally provided a 'snap shot' of how the British population was responding in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between loneliness and mental health at the early stages of the global crisis. This cross-sectional study was carried out using Prolific, an online participant recruitment platform that allowed 1608 responses in just 2 hr. Participants completed measures of Personal Well-being, Psychological Distress, Flourishing and Loneliness. Numerous associations between loneliness and mental health were found. A multiple regression found that 43% of the variance in loneliness can be accounted for by age, psychological distress and flourishing. Responses were also categorised into three groups: the non-lonely (n = 311), averagely lonely (n = 1054) and the severely lonely (n = 243), with analysis indicating that poorer well-being was associated with increased loneliness. Due to the cross sectional nature of this research, determining the direction of causality is not possible. It remains uncertain whether increased loneliness negatively impacted on mental health, whether poor mental health lead to increased loneliness, or both in fact. Current findings suggest that severely lonely individuals may be particularly vulnerable to psychological distress and that individuals with poor mental health may be especially prone to loneliness. Individuals experiencing loneliness and/or poor mental health will almost certainly need additional support during and beyond the pandemic.

Losing a Loved One During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An On-Line Survey Looking at the Effects on Traumatic Stress, Coping and Post-Traumatic Growth.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect across the world. In the UK alone, the death toll is 132,742, with 207 people dying the previous day and a total of 6,825,074 cases of Covid-19 thus far (September 1st, 2021). The aim of this study was to look at post-traumatic stress, coping skills and post-traumatic growth in relatives, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Some 185 individuals took part in a Qualtrics survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Coping Assessment for Bereavement and Loss (CABLE) and the Post-Traumatic Growth Questionnaire. There were two major findings. First, there were very high levels of post-traumatic stress, with 94.6% of the sample scoring above the threshold of 33 for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Second, levels of post-traumatic growth were very low. Losing a relative during the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to more PTSD. The circumstances surrounding many Covid deaths, may have long term negative consequences for the bereaved relatives.

Winter is coming: age and early psychological concomitants of the Covid-19 pandemic in England

Purpose This paper aims to demonstrate early psychological concomitants of the Covid-19 pandemic in England on a sample of younger and older people. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional quantitative questionnaire (n = 1608) was conducted on the Prolific website. Participants completed the PERMA Scale (Flourishing), the four Office of National Statistics (ONS4) Well-being Questions, the Clinical Outcomes Measure in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) and the short University of California Los Angeles Brief Loneliness Scale. Findings Data were gathered on March 18, 2020, near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study looks at the effects of the developing pandemic on younger participants (18 to 25 years, n = 391) and older participants (60 to 80 years, n = 104). Flourishing levels for older participants were significantly higher (M = 107.96) than for younger participants (M = 97.80). Younger participants scored significantly higher on the ONS4 for anxiety and lower than the older participants for happiness, life satisfaction and having a worthwhile life. Levels of psychological distress (CORE-10) were also significantly lower for older participants (M = 9.06) than for younger participants (M = 14.61). Finally, younger participants scored significantly higher on the Brief UCLA Loneliness Scale (M = 6.05) than older participants (M = 4.64). Research limitations/implications From these findings, the Covid-19 pandemic was having a significantly greater effect on younger people in England, less than one week before the UK went into "lockdown". Scores for both the Younger and Older groups on all the study measures were worse than normative comparisons. The study had no specific measure of Covid-19 anxiety, but nor was one available at the time of the survey. Practical implications This study suggests that younger people (18 to 25) may be a more vulnerable group during the Covid-19 pandemic than many may have realized. Social implications As a recent British Psychological Society report concluded, there is a lot of untapped wisdom amongst older groups in society. Originality/value This is one of the earliest studies to look at psychological distress before England went into "lockdown."