Examining the short and long-term mental health consequences of the lockdown to contain Covid-19

These researchers have been awarded $81,878 to use data they have already amassed as part of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS) and redirect their focus into understanding the short and long term mental health consequences of lockdown while identifying the vulnerable groups who will likely need additional resources. "By leveraging data from NZAVS, and collecting data in the weeks and year after New Zealand's unprecedented lockdown, we have the unique ability to examine changes within the same people over time," Associate Professor Osborne says. "We will likely move between various levels of lockdown over the next 18 months. Understanding the effects of strict social distancing on people's mental wellbeing is essential for fostering healthy psychological functioning. "This will place us at the forefront of literature on the psychological effects of pandemics and help us become global leaders in our research area." Associate Professor Osborne's sister is a registered nurse on the frontline of patient care in Los Angeles, and his wife is a clinical psychologist providing teletherapy in Auckland during lockdown. Co-investigator Professor Sibley's wife is a GP working in the community. So the pandemic is an issue very close to their hearts.