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The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

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Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics

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Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (Mental health and COVID-19: early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: scientific brief, 2 March 2022, 2022), the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. Social isolation, loneliness, fear of infection, bereavement, and financial concerns have contributed to the observed rise in anxiety and depression. The pandemic, the necessary public health interventions, and the negative impact on economic activity had long-lasting effects on people’s mental health. This chapter reviews the literature on COVID-19 and mental well-being. It first examines the role of public health measures, school lockdowns, economic uncertainty, and changes in working arrangements, as well as the effects of vaccine rollout. The second part of the chapter explores the heterogeneity of the COVID-19 impact in the population, documenting alarming tends in the mental health of the most vulnerable populations such as young adults, women, families with children, minorities, and essential workers.

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Acknowledgments

Responsible Section Editor: Sergio Scicchitano.

The chapter has benefitted from valuable comments of the editors and anonymous referees. There is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Daniel Banko-Ferran

  2. University of Pittsburgh and IZA, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Rania Gihleb

  3. Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh, IZA and NBER, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Osea Giuntella

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  1. Daniel Banko-Ferran
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  2. Rania Gihleb
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  3. Osea Giuntella
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Osea Giuntella .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UNU-MERIT & Princeton University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Klaus F. Zimmermann

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  1. Department of Labour Market and Social Policies, National Institute for Public Policies Analysis (INAPP), Rome, Italy

    Sergio Scicchitano Ph.D

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Banko-Ferran, D., Gihleb, R., Giuntella, O. (2023). The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health. In: Zimmermann, K.F. (eds) Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57365-6_362-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57365-6_362-1

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