Abstract
In this commentary, we discuss the physiological effects of wearing masks for prolonged periods of time, including special considerations, such as mask wearing among those who engage in exercise training, and concerns for individuals with pre-existing chronic diseases. In healthy populations, wearing a mask does not appear to cause any harmful physiological alterations, and the potentially life-saving benefits of wearing face masks seem to outweigh the documented discomforts (e.g. headaches). However, there continues to be controversy over mask wearing in the United States, even though wearing a mask appears to have only minor physiological drawbacks. While there are minimal physiological impacts on wearing a mask, theoretical evidence suggests that there may be consequential psychological impacts of mask wearing on the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. These psychological impacts may contribute to the controversy associated with wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. After we discuss the physiological impacts of mask wearing, we will discuss psychological effects associated with wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic [1].At the time of the announcement, the global number of COVID-19 cases was increasing daily, and five months later, worldwide cases continued to increase [2]
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Smith and colleagues found no significant difference between N95 and surgical masks in associated risks of respiratory infection in healthcare workers, N95 respirators were reported to have less filter penetration and less face-seal leakage when compared to surgical masks [6]
Towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its recommendations for mask wearing in public, Democrats and Republicans differed somewhat in their reports of whether or not they always wore a mask in public (38% and 24%, respectively), according to an Axios/Ipsos poll [43]
Summary
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic [1]. With the severity of the global pandemic increasing, on April 3, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States recommended that individuals wear a face mask in public if they cannot distance at least six feet from others, to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 [3,4]. Workers in many professions not previously accustomed to mask use were suddenly expected to work while wearing masks This includes grocery store and foodservice workers, bartenders, teachers, childcare providers and laborers, among others. We will discuss the psychological impact of wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this may relate to individuals’ perceptions of, and willingness to, comply with mask wearing
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