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Lockdown Strictness and Mental Health Effects Among Older Populations in Europe

Author

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  • Ariadna García-Prado

    (Departamento de Economía, Universidad Pública de Navarra)

  • Paula González

    (Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide)

  • Yolanda Rebollo-Sanz

    (Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide)

Abstract

This paper investigates whether lockdown policies aggravated mental health problems of older populations (50 and over) in Europe during the first COVID-19 wave. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE COVID-19 questionnaire) and from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker for 17 countries, we estimate the causal effect of lockdown policies on mental health by combining cross-country variability in the strictness of the policies with cross-individual variability in face-to-face contacts prior to the pandemic. We find that lockdown policies worsened insomnia, anxiety, and depression by 5, 7.2 and 5.1 percentage points, respectively. This effect was stronger for women and those aged between 50 and 65. Interestingly, lockdown policies notably damaged the mental health of healthy populations. We close with a discussion of lockdown policies targeted at individuals above 65 and/or with pre-existing conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ariadna García-Prado & Paula González & Yolanda Rebollo-Sanz, 2022. "Lockdown Strictness and Mental Health Effects Among Older Populations in Europe," Working Papers 22.05, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:pab:wpaper:22.05
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    Cited by:

    1. Lili Li & Araz Taeihagh & Si Ying Tan, 2023. "A scoping review of the impacts of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on vulnerable population groups," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Brugiavini, Agar & Di Novi, Cinzia & Orso, Cristina Elisa, 2022. "Visiting parents in times of COVID-19: The impact of parent-adult child contacts on the psychological health of the elderly," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    3. Di Novi, Cinzia & Paruolo, Paolo & Verzillo, Stefano, 2023. "Does labour protection influence mental-health responses to employment shocks? Evidence on older workers in Europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    4. Inés Berniell & Anne Laferrère & Pedro Mira & Elizaveta Pronkina, 2023. "Robinson Crusoe: less or more depressed? With whom and where to live in a pandemic if you are above 50," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 435-459, June.
    5. Danilo Cavapozzi, 2022. "The causal impact of remote working on depression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic," French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2022 10, Stata Users Group.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Mental Health; Lockdown; Confinement; Containment Index; Mobility Restrictions; Senior and Older Europeans; Causality.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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