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16 - Mental Health Interventions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The ‘Welcomed Lockdown’ Hypothesis

from Part II - Health Behaviours and Policies during Covid-19

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  aN Invalid Date NaN

By
Joan Costa-Font  and
Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto
Edited by
Joan Costa-Font  and
Matteo M. Galizzi
Joan Costa-Font
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Matteo M. Galizzi
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
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Summary

This chapter discusses the ‘welcomed lockdown’ hypothesis, namely the extent to which there is a level of risk where mobility restrictions do not reduce well-being. That is, we examine the well-being effects of mobility restrictions resulting from COVID-19, controlling for risk exposure (proxied by COVID-19 fatality rate). We suggest that in an environment of high mortality, lockdowns no longer give rise to a reduction in well-being, consistent with the ‘welcome lockdown’ hypothesis. The evidence we show in this chapter suggests that whilst a ‘preventive’ lockdown in a low/moderate mortality environment increases symptoms of depression and anxiety, in a high mortality setting (such as those in many countries during the first wave of COVID-19) it mitigates such negative effects, particularly on anxiety.

Keywords

mental healthlockdown
Type
Chapter
Information
Behavioural Economics and Policy for Pandemics
Insights from Responses to COVID-19
 , pp. 309 - 324
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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