TY - JOUR

T1 - Influences on the physical and mental health of people with serious mental ill-health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

AU - Newbronner, Elizabeth

AU - Walker, Lauren

AU - Wadman, Ruth

AU - Crosland, Suzanne

AU - Johnston, Gordon

AU - Heron, Paul

AU - Spanakis, Panagiotis

AU - Gilbody, Simon

AU - Peckham, Emily

N1 - © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - PURPOSE: People with severe mental ill-health (SMI) experience profound health inequalities. The Optimizing Wellbeing in Self-isolation study (OWLS) explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on people with SMI, including how and why their physical and mental health may have changed during the pandemic.METHODS: The OLWS study comprised two surveys and two nested qualitative studies. Of 367 people recruited to the study, 235 expressed interest in taking part in a qualitative interview. In the first qualitative study eighteen interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of participants.RESULTS: We identified six factors which influenced peoples' health, positively and negatively: Staying Physically Active; Maintaining a Balanced and Healthy Diet; Work or Not Working; Daily Routine and Good Sleep; Staying Connected to Family, Friends and the Local Community; and Habits, Addictions and Coping with Anxiety Created by the Pandemic.CONCLUSIONS: Different aspects of lifestyle are highly interconnected. For people with SMI, loss of routine and good sleep, poor diet and lack of exercise can compound each other, leading to a decline in physical and mental health. If people are supported to understand what helps them stay well, they can establish their own frameworks to draw on during difficult times.

AB - PURPOSE: People with severe mental ill-health (SMI) experience profound health inequalities. The Optimizing Wellbeing in Self-isolation study (OWLS) explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on people with SMI, including how and why their physical and mental health may have changed during the pandemic.METHODS: The OLWS study comprised two surveys and two nested qualitative studies. Of 367 people recruited to the study, 235 expressed interest in taking part in a qualitative interview. In the first qualitative study eighteen interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of participants.RESULTS: We identified six factors which influenced peoples' health, positively and negatively: Staying Physically Active; Maintaining a Balanced and Healthy Diet; Work or Not Working; Daily Routine and Good Sleep; Staying Connected to Family, Friends and the Local Community; and Habits, Addictions and Coping with Anxiety Created by the Pandemic.CONCLUSIONS: Different aspects of lifestyle are highly interconnected. For people with SMI, loss of routine and good sleep, poor diet and lack of exercise can compound each other, leading to a decline in physical and mental health. If people are supported to understand what helps them stay well, they can establish their own frameworks to draw on during difficult times.

KW - COVID-19

KW - Humans

KW - Mental Disorders/psychology

KW - Mental Health

KW - Pandemics

KW - Qualitative Research

U2 - 10.1080/17482631.2022.2122135

DO - 10.1080/17482631.2022.2122135

M3 - Article

VL - 17

JO - International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being

JF - International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being

SN - 1748-2623

IS - 1

M1 - 2122135

ER -