Socio-economic Impacts Of Covid-19: Collecting The Data Short- and medium-term (SEI)

Humans are a social species, and their health, life and genetic legacy are threatened by social isolation. Like other animals, humans fare poorly when isolated. The preventive measures to contain the current COVID-19 outbreak limit all forms of physical social contacts to a minimum, more and earlier in some countries than in others. Differences exist also within the same country due to household composition and dwelling location. Social isolation is associated with ill health. In this project we will investigate which factors predict levels of psychological distress and well-being associated with the current social-distancing measures, and which mechanisms mediate this relationship. In doing so, we will look at individual, context, and societal factors. The expected results will inform policies to prevent pandemics of this kind in the future, and provide new results that will help to identify people most at risk to suffer from the negative effects of social confinement measures.