Silver Linings of the COVID-19 Lockdown in New Zealand

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2021 Apr 1

PMID 33793672

Citations 21

Authors

Matthew Jenkins

Janet Hoek

Gabrielle Jenkin

Philip Gendall

James Stanley

Ben Beaglehole

Caroline Bell

Charlene Rapsey

Susanna Every-Palmer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption, distress, and loss of life around the world. While negative health, economic, and social consequences are being extensively studied, there has been less research on the resilience and post-traumatic growth that people show in the face of adversity. We investigated New Zealanders' experiences of benefit-finding during the COVID-19 pandemic and analysed qualitative responses to a survey examining mental well-being during the New Zealand lockdown. A total of 1175 of 2010 eligible participants responded to an open-ended question probing 'silver linings' (i.e., positive aspects) they may have experienced during this period. We analysed these qualitative responses using a thematic analysis approach. Two thirds of participants identified silver linings from the lockdown and we developed two overarching themes: Surviving (coping well, meeting basic needs, and maintaining health) and thriving (self-development, reflection, and growth). Assessing positive as well as negative consequences of the pandemic provides more nuanced insights into the impact that New Zealand's response had on mental well-being.

Citing Articles

The COVID Psychosocial Impacts Scale: A Reliable and Valid Tool to Examine the Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Tanveer S, Schluter P, Beaglehole B, Porter R, Boden J, Sulaiman-Hill R Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(11).

PMID: 37297593 PMC: 10252202. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20115990.

Does the threat of COVID-19 modulate automatic imitation?.

Roberts J, Bennett S PLoS One. 2023; 18(4):e0284936.

PMID: 37093873 PMC: 10124885. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284936.

Examining the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: an international cross-sectional study protocol.

Tanveer S, Schluter P, Porter R, Boden J, Beaglehole B, Sulaiman-Hill R BMJ Open. 2023; 13(4):e067886.

PMID: 37045574 PMC: 10105919. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067886.

The influence of resilience on stress reaction of college students during COVID-19: the mediating role of coping style and positive adaptive response.

Xu J, Yang X Curr Psychol. 2023; :1-12.

PMID: 36684467 PMC: 9838361. DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-04214-4.

Anthropause appreciation, biophilia, and ecophilosophical contemplations amidst a global pandemic.

Kolandai K, Milne B, McLay J, von Randow M, Lay-Yee R J Environ Psychol. 2022; 85:101943.

PMID: 36531128 PMC: 9747233. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101943.

References

Gallagher S, OSullivan L, Hughes Z, OConnell B . Building Resources in Caregivers: Feasibility of a Brief Writing Intervention to Increase Benefit Finding in Caregivers. Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2020; 12(2):513-531. PMC: 7384052. DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12195. View

Delhey J, Dragolov G . Happier together. Social cohesion and subjective well-being in Europe. Int J Psychol. 2015; 51(3):163-76. DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12149. View

Cloninger C, Salloum I, Mezzich J . The dynamic origins of positive health and wellbeing. Int J Pers Cent Med. 2015; 2(2):179-187. PMC: 4485445. DOI: 10.5750/ijpcm.v2i2.213. View

Morphett K, Weier M, Borland R, Yong H, Gartner C . Barriers and facilitators to switching from smoking to vaping: Advice from vapers. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2019; 38(3):234-243. PMC: 8063207. DOI: 10.1111/dar.12907. View

Stanko K, Cherry K, Ryker K, Mughal F, Marks L, Brown J . Looking for the Silver Lining: Benefit Finding after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Middle-Aged, Older, and Oldest-Old Adults. Curr Psychol. 2016; 34(3):564-575. PMC: 4948298. DOI: 10.1007/s12144-015-9366-2. View

Cherry K, Sampson L, Nezat P, Cacamo A, Marks L, Galea S . Long-term psychological outcomes in older adults after disaster: relationships to religiosity and social support. Aging Ment Health. 2014; 19(5):430-43. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2014.941325. View

Felix E, Afifi T, Kia-Keating M, Brown L, Afifi W, Reyes G . Family functioning and posttraumatic growth among parents and youth following wildfire disasters. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2015; 85(2):191-200. DOI: 10.1037/ort0000054. View

Hagerty S, Williams L . The impact of COVID-19 on mental health: The interactive roles of brain biotypes and human connection. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2020; 5:100078. PMC: 7204757. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100078. View

Helgeson V, Reynolds K, Tomich P . A meta-analytic review of benefit finding and growth. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006; 74(5):797-816. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.74.5.797. View

10.

Kraemer B, Wittmann L, Jenewein J, Schnyder U . 2004 Tsunami: long-term psychological consequences for Swiss tourists in the area at the time of the disaster. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2009; 43(5):420-5. DOI: 10.1080/00048670902817653. View

11.

Bonanno G, Galea S, Bucciarelli A, Vlahov D . What predicts psychological resilience after disaster? The role of demographics, resources, and life stress. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007; 75(5):671-82. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.5.671. View

12.

Cousins S . New Zealand eliminates COVID-19. Lancet. 2020; 395(10235):1474. PMC: 7252131. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31097-7. View

13.

Vindegaard N, Benros M . COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence. Brain Behav Immun. 2020; 89:531-542. PMC: 7260522. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.048. View

14.

Tamiolaki A, Kalaitzaki A . "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger": COVID-19 and Posttraumatic Growth. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 289:113044. PMC: 7191294. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113044. View

15.

Tang C . Positive and negative postdisaster psychological adjustment among adult survivors of the Southeast Asian earthquake-tsunami. J Psychosom Res. 2006; 61(5):699-705. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.07.014. View

16.

Zacher H, Rudolph C . Individual differences and changes in subjective wellbeing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Am Psychol. 2020; 76(1):50-62. DOI: 10.1037/amp0000702. View

17.

Tedeschi R, Calhoun L . The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: measuring the positive legacy of trauma. J Trauma Stress. 1996; 9(3):455-71. DOI: 10.1007/BF02103658. View

18.

Fouda A, Mahmoudi N, Moy N, Paolucci F . The COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, Iceland, New Zealand, and Singapore: Health policies and lessons learned. Health Policy Technol. 2020; 9(4):510-524. PMC: 7452848. DOI: 10.1016/j.hlpt.2020.08.015. View

19.

Moore J . What Is the Sense of Agency and Why Does it Matter?. Front Psychol. 2016; 7:1272. PMC: 5002400. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01272. View

20.

Every-Palmer S, Jenkins M, Gendall P, Hoek J, Beaglehole B, Bell C . Psychological distress, anxiety, family violence, suicidality, and wellbeing in New Zealand during the COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2020; 15(11):e0241658. PMC: 7641386. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241658. View