Open Access
ARTICLE
Detrimental Effects of COVID-19 Measures on Mental Health and Social-Economic Disparities
Hong Wang1, Narges Sanchuli2,*
1
School of Tourism, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
2
Department of Education Sciences, Islamic Azad University of Gorgan, Gorgan, 471667636, Iran
* Corresponding Author: Narges Sanchuli. Email:
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2023, 25(1), 63-79. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.022319
Received 04 March 2022; Accepted 01 August 2022; Issue published 29 November 2022
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has struck nations worldwide, pushing worldwide health and socioeconomic systems to
extreme limits. Various factors, such as drastic alterations in public environments, prolonged quarantine, revenue
loss, and anxiety of disease contraction, have caused mental turmoil. Although there was a need to cope with an
excess of psychological strain among the public, post-COVID patients, and those with a previously diagnosed
psychiatric condition, mental health programs faced a substantial decline in services, mirroring the dramatic rise
in psychological issues. Interestingly, certain coping strategies play protective or deleterious effects on mental
health outcomes. Moreover, social media exposure has played a double-edged role in the mental health of the
public during the pandemic, leaving grounds for further debates. Protean cultural themes have taken center stage
in the discussion on social resilience and compliance to COVID-19 measures, driving their impact through certain work ethics, social capital, and public attitudes in different societies. On the other hand, exceedingly rising
poverty rates cemented the deleterious economic impact of the pandemic. Attention has been called to the racial
implications of the pandemic, driving millions of individuals with low socioeconomic position (SEP) and belonging to minority groups out of the paid workforce. Interestingly, we turn attention to an array of elements implicated in this dramatic effect, such as public transport, living arrangements, and health insurance coverage among
these vulnerable groups. We attempt to address the mechanisms COVID-19 channeled its mental health and
socioeconomic impacts by explaining the risk factors and pave the way for stronger crisis management in the
future by evaluating the socioeconomic and psychological effects in stark detail.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Wang, H., Sanchuli, N. (2023). Detrimental Effects of COVID-19 Measures on Mental Health and Social-Economic Disparities.
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 25(1), 63–79.