EC Psychology and Psychiatry

COVID-19 has had profound effects on many physical, mental and social aspects of health. This study examined people’s fears and concerns about the virus, their experiences of being subjected to expert opinion and media portrayals of suffering from the virus, experiences of lockdown, and hopes and doubts for the future. We also examined how these relate to symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. 180 participants completed an online survey exploring the themes of the study. Results suggest that in addition to concerns of catching the virus themselves, participants were more concerned with passing it on to others. People found information provided by experts at times contradictory and confusing. There was a strong endorsement that the media exploited suffering and while there was a high desire to move to a more compassionate ‘caring and sharing world’, there were strong doubts that this would happen or that politicians would be able to navigate to that. More research is needed on how to present information about high levels of threat, tragic events and processes in order to avoid adding to, rather than reducing mental health difficulties, and generating unhelpful behaviours.

Keywords: COVID-19; Anxiety; Stress; Depression; Media; Politicians

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