Research on Resilience to COVID-19

Resilience to COVID

Are you like me, feeling frustrated that we are still in the COVID-19 forest of challenges? This I believe: leaders in government, health, education, business, and research seek the best answers to support us. Sometimes they are off the mark. Often times new findings come to light. Sometimes there is disagreement and conflict. Globally, divisiveness has never been louder.

Here, I want to focus on research organizations that attempt to track the mental health toll of the consequences of dealing with COVID-19. They also attempt to stay realistic and provide glimpses of optimism, hope, and resiliency.

In resiliency research, the term risk factors are used to describe challenges. You will see key problems identified as Findings of Concern. They describe how often and in what ways, COVID-19 related griefs are showing up.

You will also read what is termed, protective factors. Protector factors allow us to cope with challenges. Humans are inherently resilient, and we can fortify ourselves by reading how others are dealing with the present confinements, constraints, and disappointments. Notice some of the hopeful statistics and research results titled, Findings of Hope. 

ONE: Canadian Mental Health Association, May 3, 2021
Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health 

 Findings of Concern

• 77% of adults reported feeling negative (uncomfortable) emotions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The most common responses related to emotions were, worried, anxious, bored, stressed, lonely or isolated and sad.
• 41% reported a decline in mental health since the beginning of COVID-19, compared to 38% in the spring and 40% in the fall of 2020.
• Decline was higher in those who are unemployed due to COVID (61%), those with a pre-existing mental health condition (54%), those aged 18-24 (50%), students (48%), those who have a disability (47%) or identify as LGBTQ2+ (46%).

Findings of Hope
Emily Jenkins, a professor of nursing at University of British Columbia, provided an optimistic reframe to interviewees reporting their feelings. She said, “Sharing our very normal feelings of sadness, fear and worry is particularly important during this unusual time of stress, uncertainty and loss.”

79% of Canadians reported coping at least fairly well with the stress by:

• walking or exercising outside (51%),
• connecting with family and friends virtually (43%)
• maintaining a healthy lifestyle (40%)
• keeping up to date with relevant information (38%)
• and doing a hobby (37%)

TWO: Harvard Graduate School, US, February 9, 2021
Loneliness in America: How the Pandemic Has Deepened an Epidemic of Loneliness and What We Can Do About It

Findings of Concern

• 36% of adults, reported serious loneliness—feeling lonely frequently or almost all the time or all the time in the four weeks before to the survey.
• The above finding includes 61% of those age 18-25 and 51% of mothers of young children.
• 43% of young adults reported increases in loneliness since COVID-19.
• 50% of lonely young adults reported that no one in the past few weeks had “taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they are doing in a way that made them feel like the person “genuinely cared.”
• According to a recent CDC survey, 63% of lonely young adults suffer anxiety or depression.

Findings of Hope
Encouragement from the Harvard Graduate School comes in the form of their follow-up recommendations:

1. Provide information, about coping strategies for loneliness including thought patterns and behaviors.
2. Review, rebuild, and reweave social relationships in our communities including government, healthcare, and educational institutions.
3. Remind ourselves to be committed to our own well-being and each other’s; as we are in this together.

THREE: Mental Health Research, Canada, Feb 8, 2021
Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians

Findings of Concern

Since the onset of COVID-19, Canadians report their highest levels of anxiety (25%) and depression (17%). Those reporting feeling depressed as high has increased by 70% since the height of the first wave of COVID-19.

• 6% of Canadians (1.8 million) ages 18 and older report, high in anxiety and depression, moderate to severe mental health symptoms, low management of stress and low resiliency.
• More than one-half of Canadians worry about making ends meet, a considerable increase since before the pandemic.
• Social isolation is now the leading self-reported stressor.
• Those ages 18 to 34, have the highest decline in mental health, are less likely to be optimistic about recovery and access treatment.  

Findings of Hope

Canadians in this research reported they were coping by:

• Going outside (40%)
• Physical activity (21%)
• Indoor activities including reading (30%)
• Entertainment (25%)

FOUR: Morneau Shepell, US, April 2020 to March 2021
The Mental Health Index™ Report
Mental Health One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic

Findings of Concern

• Mental stress has increased.
• Finances and isolation are the strongest drivers of mental health.
• Women consistently indicate significantly poorer mental health and more mental stress.
• Post-secondary students have consistently the lowest mental health scores.
• Parents continue to have less favourable mental health scores than non-parents.
• People with reduced salaries or reduced hours have poorer mental health and more mental stress.

Findings of Hope
The good news from this report includes:

• Mental health scores consistently improve with age.
• Young people are changing priorities to focus on mental health.
• Employer support is highly correlated with health heath.

FIVE: Angus Reid Institute, Canada, October 14, 2020
Isolation, Loneliness, and COVID-19: Pandemic leads to sharp increase in mental health challenges, social woes 

Findings compare fall 2020 conditions affecting personal and relationship wellness from May of 2020.

Findings of Concern

• Those reporting a good social life dropped from 55% in 2019 to 33%.
• The category of The Desolate (loneliness + social isolation) increased from 23% in May 2020 to 33%.
• Those reporting their mental health was good or very good dropped from 67% in 2020 to 53%.
• 40% of young men and women are among the Desolate and are experiencing considerable isolation and loneliness.
• Marital satisfaction decreased from 57% good to 51%.

Findings of Hope

• Family members continue to be of support and largely positive.
• Older Canadians are most likely to categorized as Cherished and Moderately Connected. They are living through the pandemic the best.
• Those 55 years old plus have increased their use of technology to stay connected from 36% to 55%.

More Findings of Hope and Resilience Building

Reflecting on Your own Capabilities Boosts Resilience, March 10, 2021
Birgit Kleim, University of Zurich,

Kleim says, “By self-efficacy, I mean the belief that we have the ability to influence things to at least a small degree, even if some things are unchangeable.” To build this sense of personal power recall times when you effectively coped with challenges. Those positive memories will fortify you in the face of myriad losses and frustrations due to COVID-19.

Harvard Business Review, January 29, 2021
The Secret to Building Resilience
By Cross, Dillon, and Greenberg

This research project concluded that our relationships can help us stay steady and/or rebound from challenges. Some of the protective factors of connections include:

• Help build our confidence so we might push back and self-advocate.
• Help us see a path forward.
• Provide empathic support so we can share our emotions.
• Remind us of the purpose or meaning in our work.

Resiliency Researcher and Scholar
Dr. Ann Masten

Masten’s findings include the importance of us developing:

1. Healthy routines and rituals.
2. The ability to adapt with self-efficacy.
3. Problem solving skills.
4. Supportive and empowering relationships.
5. Emotional awareness.
6. Meaningful activities that give a sense of purpose.
7. Optimism and hope.

You can listen to an American Psychological Association podcast with Masten being interviewed, called The Role of Resilience in the Face of COVID-19.

Conclusion

To summarize, take extra care of yourself, watch your self-talk, and connect often to those you love and feel loved by. If you are stuck in any mental health challenge before, during or after COVID-19, please reach out for help. We are all doing the best we can and that best includes being here for one another.