COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown and Wellbeing: Experiences from Aotearoa New Zealand in 2020

Tara N. Officer, Fiona Imlach, Eileen McKinlay, Jonathan Kennedy, Megan Pledger, Lynne Russell, Marianna Churchward, Jacqueline Cumming and Karen McBride-Henry
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Tara N. Officer: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Fiona Imlach: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Eileen McKinlay: Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago (Wellington), Wellington 6021, New Zealand
Jonathan Kennedy: Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago (Wellington), Wellington 6021, New Zealand
Megan Pledger: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Lynne Russell: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Marianna Churchward: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Jacqueline Cumming: Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora|Health Services Research Centre, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Karen McBride-Henry: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: In 2020, in the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Aotearoa New Zealand consistently maintained stringent public health measures including stay-at-home lockdowns and distancing responses. Considering the widespread disruption to social functioning caused by the pandemic, this paper aimed to explore environmental and social factors that influenced the wellbeing of individuals during the first lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our mixed-methods study involved a survey (n = 1010) and semi-structured interviews of a subset of surveyed individuals undertaken at the tail end of the first 2020 lockdown. Survey participants were recruited through social media-driven snowball sampling, less than 50% were aged under 45 years and 85% identified as female. Of those interviewed, 63% identified as female. Qualitative interview findings and open-ended survey results were analysed thematically. Participants described a variety of factors influencing wellbeing, largely related to the community and household; physical, behavioural, and lifestyle factors; access to health services; and social and economic foundations. While much of the focus of COVID-19 recovery was on reversing the economic and physical toll of the pandemic, our findings emphasise the need to empower individuals, families, and communities to mitigate the pandemic’s negative implications on wellbeing.

Keywords: COVID-19; wellbeing; Aotearoa New Zealand; mental health; social distancing; lockdown (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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