SOCIAL DISTANCING and lockdown measures due to coronavirus have lead to a rise in people feeling lonely, depressed and anxious in Ireland, a new study has revealed.
It showed that four in 10 Irish people (41%) reported feeling lonely during isolation, while 23% of people are experiencing clinically defined levels of depression.
One in five are also reportedly experiencing anxiety and post-traumatic stress problems.
The study, conducted by researchers at Maynooth University and Trinity College Dublin, surveyed more than 1,000 adults and was launched on March 31, 31 days after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Ireland.
It was also 19 days after lockdown restrictions were first imposed, where people were required to stay home.
The study shows that women are experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety than men, though men are experiencing higher levels of post-traumatic stress.
Dr Philip Hyland of Maynooth University said: "We also found that younger people, those who have a tendency to think in catastrophic ways, those who fear being infected by Covid-19, and those who have someone close to them infected by Covid-19 are at a higher risk of mental health problems."
Despite news of a vaccine on the horizon, and it being possibly the only way life can return to how it was before the pandemic, a surprisingly low amount of people (65%) indicated that they would be willing to accept the vaccine for themselves and their children in the study.
See More: Anxiety, Coronavirus, Depression, Loneliness, Study
