Covid-19 Lockdown: Psychological Implications on Life Quality

Abstract

Being a new infection that is highly communicable in nature, spreading fast across the globe, and the fact that there is yet to be a known cure for it. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread concern throughout the world, resulting in a global lockdown on social restrictions such as international and national transportation links, market or business transactions, school and organization activities, and all related social and religious gatherings. Back home in Nigeria, the COVID-19 lockdown spanned from early May 2020 to the end of July 2020. Movement was restricted during this period. Gradually, lockdown was eased, but a curfew of 8pm to 6am was introduced across major cities in the country to curtail the spread of the virus. This study examined the psychological implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on a sample of 1000 drawn from across the length and breadth of the country using online data collection channels. The ages of the respondents ranged from 18–50 years. The sample was made up of 42.3% females and 57.7% males. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder was assessed using GAD-7 and stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Analysis of the data was carried out using the Chi Square test and the results show a significantly higher number of females experiencing GAD than their male counterparts, while males suffered more stress than females. Furthermore, findings show that younger and middle-aged people suffered from GAD more than older people, while older people suffered more stress than younger and middle-aged people. It was therefore recommended, among others, that general healthcare professionals should collaborate with psychotherapists in the management of this pandemic and future ones in order to promote people’s psychological wellbeing in society. Also, mental health experts should come up with an awareness campaign on the basic means of overcoming psychological distress in the media and in communities generally in Nigeria to foster mental healthiness.