IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i5p2619-d511368.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Psychosocial Effects and Use of Communication Technologies during Home Confinement in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy and The Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • Sofia Bastoni

    (Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Christian Wrede

    (Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Achraf Ammar

    (Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
    Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Neurosciences, Physiology and Psychology: Physical Activity, Health and Learning (LINP2), UFR STAPS, UPL, Paris Nanterre University, 92000 Nanterre, France
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Annemarie Braakman-Jansen

    (Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands)

  • Robbert Sanderman

    (Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
    Department of Health Psychology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9712 Groningen, The Netherlands)

  • Andrea Gaggioli

    (Department of Psychology, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy
    Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, I.r.c.c.s. Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20149 Milan, Italy)

  • Khaled Trabelsi

    (High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
    Research Laboratory: Education, Motricité, Sport et Santé, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Liwa Masmoudi

    (High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Omar Boukhris

    (High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Jordan M. Glenn

    (Exercise Science Research Center, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, NC AR72701, USA)

  • Bassem Bouaziz

    (Multimedia Information Systems and Advanced Computing Laboratory (MIRACL), University of Sfax, 3021 Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Hamdi Chtourou

    (High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
    Activité Physique, Sport et Santé, UR18JS01, Observatoire National du Sport, 1003 Tunis, Tunisia)

  • Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen

    (Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands)

Abstract

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced people from all around the globe to strongly modify their daily routines, putting a significant strain on the social aspects of daily lives. While the first wave of the pandemic was a very challenging time in all countries, it is still uncertain whether various lockdown intensities and infection rates differed regarding their psychosocial impact. This work therefore aimed to investigate (i) the psychosocial effects of home confinement in two European countries that underwent different lockdown intensities: Italy and the Netherlands and (ii) the role of communication technology in relation to feelings of loneliness. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional online survey inquiring about different psychosocial variables and the use of and satisfaction towards communication technology was circulated among the general public during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 629 participants (66% female, 68% from the Netherlands) answered each question twice, referring to “before” and “during” the pandemic. (3) Results: We found significant negative effects of COVID-19 home confinement on depressive feelings ( p < 0.001, %∆ = +54%), loneliness ( p < 0.001, %∆ = +37.3%), life satisfaction ( p < 0.001, %∆ = −19.8%) and mental wellbeing ( p < 0.001, %∆ = −10.6%) which were accompanied with a significantly increased need for psychosocial support ( p < 0.001, %∆ = +17.3%). However, the magnitude of psychosocial impact did not significantly differ between residents undergoing a more intense (Italy) versus a less intense (Netherlands) lockdown, although the decrease in social participation was found to be significantly different for both countries (z = −7.714, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that the increase in loneliness was associated with the adoption of new digital communication tools (r = 0.21, p < 0.001), and significantly higher for individuals who started to adopt at least one new digital communication tool during confinement than for those who did not (z = −4.252, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: This study highlights that, although COVID-19 home confinement significantly impacted psychosocial wellbeing during the first wave of the pandemic, this impact did not differ based on lockdown intensity. Recognizing the increasing adoption of digital communication technology in an attempt to reduce lockdown loneliness, future studies should investigate what is needed from the technology to achieve this effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofia Bastoni & Christian Wrede & Achraf Ammar & Annemarie Braakman-Jansen & Robbert Sanderman & Andrea Gaggioli & Khaled Trabelsi & Liwa Masmoudi & Omar Boukhris & Jordan M. Glenn & Bassem Bouaziz & , 2021. "Psychosocial Effects and Use of Communication Technologies during Home Confinement in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy and The Netherlands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-12, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2619-:d:511368
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2619/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2619/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sarah Dryhurst & Claudia R. Schneider & John Kerr & Alexandra L. J. Freeman & Gabriel Recchia & Anne Marthe van der Bles & David Spiegelhalter & Sander van der Linden, 2020. "Risk perceptions of COVID-19 around the world," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7-8), pages 994-1006, August.
    2. Cuiyan Wang & Riyu Pan & Xiaoyang Wan & Yilin Tan & Linkang Xu & Cyrus S. Ho & Roger C. Ho, 2020. "Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, March.
    3. Antonio Baldassarre & Gabriele Giorgi & Federico Alessio & Lucrezia Ginevra Lulli & Giulio Arcangeli & Nicola Mucci, 2020. "Stigma and Discrimination (SAD) at the Time of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-29, August.
    4. Ellen Bentlage & Achraf Ammar & Daniella How & Mona Ahmed & Khaled Trabelsi & Hamdi Chtourou & Michael Brach, 2020. "Practical Recommendations for Maintaining Active Lifestyle during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-22, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kokoro Natomi & Haruka Kato & Daisuke Matsushita, 2022. "Work-Related Stress of Work from Home with Housemates Based on Residential Types," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Nazira Calleja & Cecilia Mota, 2022. "Mothers in Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Mexico: Does Having a Paid Job Make a Difference?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-12, September.
    3. Yu Par Khin & Yusuke Matsuyama & Takahiro Tabuchi & Takeo Fujiwara, 2021. "Association of Visual Display Terminal Usage with Self-Rated Health and Psychological Distress among Japanese Office Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-10, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liliana Cori & Olivia Curzio & Fulvio Adorni & Federica Prinelli & Marianna Noale & Caterina Trevisan & Loredana Fortunato & Andrea Giacomelli & Fabrizio Bianchi, 2021. "Fear of COVID-19 for Individuals and Family Members: Indications from the National Cross-Sectional Study of the EPICOVID19 Web-Based Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Bonny Yee-Man Wong & Tai-Hing Lam & Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai & Man Ping Wang & Sai-Yin Ho, 2021. "Perceived Benefits and Harms of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Well-Being and Their Sociodemographic Disparities in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Wasiq Khan & Bilal M. Khan & Salwa Yasen & Ahmed Al-Dahiri & Dhiya Al-Jumeily & Khalil Dajani & Abir Hussain, 2022. "COVID-19 Vaccination and Mental Stress within Diverse Sociodemographic Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Mateusz Ciski & Krzysztof Rząsa, 2023. "Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression in the Investigation of Local COVID-19 Anomalies Based on Population Age Structure in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-23, May.
    5. Nguyen Xuan Truong & Bui Hoang Ngoc & Nguyen Thai Ha, 2022. "The Impacts of Media Exposure on COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Among Vietnamese People: Evidence Using Expanded Protection Motivation Theory," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    6. Mariah Lecompte & Alyssa Counsell & Lixia Yang, 2022. "Demographic and COVID Experience Predictors of COVID-19 Risk Perception among Chinese Residents in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-10, November.
    7. Dian-Jeng Li & Nai-Ying Ko & Yu-Ping Chang & Cheng-Fang Yen & Yi-Lung Chen, 2021. "Mediating Effects of Risk Perception on Association between Social Support and Coping with COVID-19: An Online Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    8. Víctor J. Villanueva-Blasco & Verónica Villanueva Silvestre & Andrea Vázquez-Martínez & Antonio Rial Boubeta & Manuel Isorna, 2021. "Age and Living Situation as Key Factors in Understanding Changes in Alcohol Use during COVID-19 Confinement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Annika H. Davidsen & Maria S. Petersen, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Mental Well-Being and Working Life among Faroese Employees," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, April.
    10. Maayan Shacham & Lee Greenblatt-Kimron & Yaira Hamama-Raz & Leslie R. Martin & Oren Peleg & Menachem Ben-Ezra & Eitan Mijiritsky, 2021. "Increased COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy and Health Awareness amid COVID-19 Vaccinations Programs in Israel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-11, April.
    11. Mumtaz Ali Memon & Saba Shaikh & Muhammad Zeeshan Mirza & Asfia Obaid & Nuttawuth Muenjohn & Hiram Ting, 2022. "Work-From-Home in the New Normal: A Phenomenological Inquiry into Employees’ Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    12. Krzysztof Rząsa & Mateusz Ciski, 2022. "Influence of the Demographic, Social, and Environmental Factors on the COVID-19 Pandemic—Analysis of the Local Variations Using Geographically Weighted Regression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-26, September.
    13. Ana María Recio-Vivas & Isabel Font-Jiménez & José Miguel Mansilla-Domínguez & Angel Belzunegui-Eraso & David Díaz-Pérez & Laura Lorenzo-Allegue & David Peña-Otero, 2022. "Fear and Attitude towards SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection in Spanish Population during the Period of Confinement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-15, January.
    14. Yunjun Hu & Lingling Shu & Huilin Zhang & Chen Wang & Chengfu Yu & Guanyu Cui, 2022. "Perceived Epidemic Risk and Depression Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Security and the Moderation Role of Perceived Discrimination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-14, June.
    15. Julio Emilio Marco-Franco & Pedro Pita-Barros & David Vivas-Orts & Silvia González-de-Julián & David Vivas-Consuelo, 2021. "COVID-19, Fake News, and Vaccines: Should Regulation Be Implemented?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-11, January.
    16. Jiayi Liu & Zhikai Peng & Xiaoxi Cai & You Peng & Jiang Li & Tao Feng, 2021. "Students’ Intention of Visiting Urban Green Spaces after the COVID-19 Lockdown in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    17. Won Choi & Sang-joon Lee & Woo-je Lee & Eun-mi Beak & Ki-youn Kim, 2022. "Job Satisfaction Level of Safety and Health Manager in Construction Industry: Pandemic Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-15, May.
    18. Stella E. Hines & Katherine H. Chin & Danielle R. Glick & Emerson M. Wickwire, 2021. "Trends in Moral Injury, Distress, and Resilience Factors among Healthcare Workers at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-11, January.
    19. Ceren Hayran & Lalin Anik, 2021. "Well-Being and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Digital Content in the Time of COVID-19: A Correlational Analysis among University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    20. Achraf Ammar & Hamdi Chtourou & Omar Boukhris & Khaled Trabelsi & Liwa Masmoudi & Michael Brach & Bassem Bouaziz & Ellen Bentlage & Daniella How & Mona Ahmed & Patrick Mueller & Notger Mueller & Hsen , 2020. "COVID-19 Home Confinement Negatively Impacts Social Participation and Life Satisfaction: A Worldwide Multicenter Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-17, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2619-:d:511368. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.