Psychosocial Effects and Use of Communication Technologies during Home Confinement in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy and The Netherlands

Sofia Bastoni, Christian Wrede, Achraf Ammar, Annemarie Braakman-Jansen, Robbert Sanderman, Andrea Gaggioli, Khaled Trabelsi, Liwa Masmoudi, Omar Boukhris, Jordan M. Glenn, Bassem Bouaziz, Hamdi Chtourou and Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen
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Sofia Bastoni: Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Christian Wrede: Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Achraf Ammar: Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
Annemarie Braakman-Jansen: Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Robbert Sanderman: Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
Andrea Gaggioli: Department of Psychology, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy
Khaled Trabelsi: High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
Liwa Masmoudi: High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
Omar Boukhris: High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
Jordan M. Glenn: Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, NC AR72701, USA
Bassem Bouaziz: Multimedia Information Systems and Advanced Computing Laboratory (MIRACL), University of Sfax, 3021 Sfax, Tunisia
Hamdi Chtourou: High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen: Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: (1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced people from all around the globe to strongly modify their daily routines, putting a significant strain on the social aspects of daily lives. While the first wave of the pandemic was a very challenging time in all countries, it is still uncertain whether various lockdown intensities and infection rates differed regarding their psychosocial impact. This work therefore aimed to investigate (i) the psychosocial effects of home confinement in two European countries that underwent different lockdown intensities: Italy and the Netherlands and (ii) the role of communication technology in relation to feelings of loneliness. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional online survey inquiring about different psychosocial variables and the use of and satisfaction towards communication technology was circulated among the general public during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 629 participants (66% female, 68% from the Netherlands) answered each question twice, referring to “before” and “during” the pandemic. (3) Results: We found significant negative effects of COVID-19 home confinement on depressive feelings ( p < 0.001, %? = +54%), loneliness ( p < 0.001, %? = +37.3%), life satisfaction ( p < 0.001, %? = ?19.8%) and mental wellbeing ( p < 0.001, %? = ?10.6%) which were accompanied with a significantly increased need for psychosocial support ( p < 0.001, %? = +17.3%). However, the magnitude of psychosocial impact did not significantly differ between residents undergoing a more intense (Italy) versus a less intense (Netherlands) lockdown, although the decrease in social participation was found to be significantly different for both countries (z = ?7.714, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that the increase in loneliness was associated with the adoption of new digital communication tools (r = 0.21, p < 0.001), and significantly higher for individuals who started to adopt at least one new digital communication tool during confinement than for those who did not (z = ?4.252, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: This study highlights that, although COVID-19 home confinement significantly impacted psychosocial wellbeing during the first wave of the pandemic, this impact did not differ based on lockdown intensity. Recognizing the increasing adoption of digital communication technology in an attempt to reduce lockdown loneliness, future studies should investigate what is needed from the technology to achieve this effect.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; home confinement; public health; mental wellbeing; loneliness; communication technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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