A cross-sectional investigation of the mental health and wellbeing among individuals who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 international border closure in Australia

Globalization and Health

Teri Mavrangelos¹  Joep van Agteren²  Michael Kyrios³  Kathina Ali³  Daniel B. Fassnacht³  Matthew Iasiello⁴ 

[1] College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Sturt Road, 5042, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia;College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Sturt Road, 5042, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia;Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, North Terrace, 5000, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia;College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Sturt Road, 5042, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia;Órama Institute for Mental Health & Wellbeing, Flinders University, Sturt Road, 5042, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia;Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, North Terrace, 5000, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia;College of Nursing and Health Science, Flinders University, Sturt Road, 5042, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia;

关键词: COVID-19;    Coronavirus;    International border closures;    Mental health;    Psychological distress;    Wellbeing;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12992-022-00807-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the Australian government implementing strict international border closures. However, research has not yet investigated the mental health status of individuals impacted negatively by these international border closures.MethodsThe present study was a cross-sectional online survey of 3968 adults who reported being negatively affected by the border closure during June and July 2021. Psychological distress was measured with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), stress with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and wellbeing with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF).ResultsIn total, 3968 participants reported being negatively affected by the current restrictions (63.4% in Australia, 36.6% overseas). The vast majority of respondents (83.6%) reported high or very high levels of psychological distress (mean K10 score > 22), and 74.8% reported poor mental wellbeing, with similar risk profiles for participants in Australia or overseas. The most common scenarios of affected individuals included 1) wanting to enter Australia (30.8%), 2) wanting to leave Australia (29.6%) and 3) wanting someone to enter Australia (25.6%). Reasons included wanting to be with partners, family and friends (81.1%), for employment/economic reasons (4.9%), study (4.1%), personal safety/health (2.6%) or holiday (1.4%). While psychological distress was extremely high across all groups, separated partners and those with interrupted study experienced the highest distress (mean K10 = 35.7, n = 155).ConclusionThe data suggests a highly elevated mental health risk profile among individuals who report being negatively affected by current Australian international border closures. The results provide valuable data to inform future policy decisions and have clear implications regarding effective service provision for this vulnerable group.

【 授权许可】

CC BY