The coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-2019) has had profound effects on many physical, mental and social aspects of health. This study examined people’s fears and concerns about the virus, their experiences of being subjected to expert opinion and media portrayals of suffering from the virus, experiences of lockdown, and hopes and doubts for the future. We also examined how these relate to symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.
Participants completed a set of questions developed for this study, which related to five themes:
1. Fears of the virus,
2. People’s experiences of listening to ‘expert’ opinions,
3. People’s reactions when hearing of personal stories of COVID-19 related deaths,
4. Post-covid and hopes-doubts for a better world,
5. People’s experiences of lockdown.
Participants were also asked to complete the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)