Abstract
We conducted a longitudinal online study to examine attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) over time in a sample of locked-down individuals. We used (i) questionnaires and (ii) the automatic analysis of the emotional content of narratives. Participants (N = 162) were recruited to complete an online survey 4 times between March and June 2020 (T1, T2, T3, T4). T1 completion coincided with the beginning of the lockdown, and T4 with the pandemic trough. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed with the DASS-42 and APS with the PQ-16. Psychosocial data such as the feeling of loneliness and social network size were also collected. The participants wrote daily narratives during the lockdown period. Anxiety and APS were the highest at T1 and decreased over time. APS and APS-associated distress were correlated with the DASS-42 at all times. APS arose acutely at the beginning of the pandemic, despite participants being socio-economically advantaged, and were related with negative emotions.
Highlights
The COVID-19 outbreak, and associated lockdowns, affected populations worldwide and marked an unprecedented rupture with the daily life
To examine and document mental health during the lockdown, we conducted a longitudinal online study consisting of self-report questionnaires and personal narratives in the general community
We focused especially on the emergence of attenuated symptoms of psychosis (APS), which have been rarely explored in the general community, despite the known association between loneliness, stress, and psychosis
Summary
The COVID-19 outbreak, and associated lockdowns, affected populations worldwide and marked an unprecedented rupture with the daily life Individual reactions to these society-level disruptions can teach us a lot about the psychological impact of the pandemic itself, as well as the mitigation strategies such as the lockdowns and how we adapt to these changes. A meta-analysis found small effects from pandemic lockdowns on anxiety and depression (Hedges’ g = 0.18 and 0.16, respectively)12 These findings suggest that the psychological outcomes during the pandemic evolve dynamically over time. Tso & Park reported that an astonishing 65.6% of the 432 adults surveyed in Hong Kong reported clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and/or stress while 22.5% were showing signs of attenuated psychosis-like symptoms during the spring of 2020
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