The Impact of COVID-19-Related Restrictions on Social and Daily Activities of Parents, People With Disabilities, and Older Adults: Protocol for a Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study.

Holly Reid,Elliott Flockhart,Tal Jarus,Kai Leong,Ethan Simpson,Jaimie Borisoff,Elham Esfandiari,Emily Brooks,Julia Schmidt,Parmeet Matharu,Janice Chan,Nicole Di Spirito,Chihori Tsukura,Jessica Irish,Susan Forwell,Gordon Tao,Isabelle Rash,Adam Alic,William C Miller ,Somayeh Mohammadi ,Brodie M Sakakibara ,Catherine L Backman ,W Ben Mortenson

doi:10.2196/28337

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people’s daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults.ObjectiveWe aim to (1) investigate how COVID-19 restrictions influence daily activities, (2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time, and (3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions.MethodsThis is a longitudinal, concurrent, mixed methods study being conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data collection occurred at four time points, between April 2020 and February 2021. The first three data collection time points occurred within phases 1 to 3 of the Province of BC’s Restart Plan. The final data collection coincided with the initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. At each time point, data regarding participants’ sociodemographics, depressive and anxiety symptoms, resilience, boredom, social support, instrumental activities of daily living, and social media and technology use were collected in an online survey. These data supplemented qualitative videoconference interviews exploring participants’ COVID-19–related experiences. Participants were also asked to upload photos representing their experience during the restriction period, which facilitated discussion during the final interview. Five groups of participants were recruited: (1) families with children under the age of 18 years, (2) adults with an SCI, (3) adults who experienced a stroke, (4) adults with other types of disabilities, and (5) older adults (>64 years of age) with no self-reported disability. The number of participants we could recruit from each group was limited, which may impact the validity of some subgroup analyses.ResultsThis study was approved by the University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board (Approval No. H20-01109) on April 17, 2020. A total of 81 participants were enrolled in this study and data are being analyzed. Data analyses are expected to be completed in fall 2021; submission of multiple papers for publication is expected by winter 2021.ConclusionsFindings from our study will inform the development and recommendations of a new resource guide for the post–COVID-19 period and for future public health emergencies.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/28337

Highlights

COVID-19 is the third zoonotic virus to infect humans in as many decades and was first identified in Wuhan, China, near the end of 2019 [1]
As health is a provincial responsibility in Canada, the restrictions vary by province and are subject to change depending on the number of COVID-19 cases in the given location
COVID-19 studies indicated that negative mood increased for parents and children and “work disruptions” increased [11]. These findings suggest that parents and their children are facing unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic that are impacting their mood and productivity and are likely contributing to declining mental health for the family as a whole [11]

Summary

Introduction

COVID-19 is the third zoonotic virus to infect humans in as many decades and was first identified in Wuhan, China, near the end of 2019 [1]. Once the severity of the virus was realized, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [2], and recommended the implementation of an evolving series of public health and social measures. These included “measures or actions by individuals, institutions, communities, local and national governments and international bodies to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19” [3]. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization This has dramatically altered people’s daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults

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Results

Conclusion