The Psychological Impact Of Quarantine And How To Reduce It
By Uduak Effiong
Quarantine is an unpleasant experience for individuals. During the Quarantine period, a person can develop feelings of lack of freedom, sadness due to separation from loved ones, anxiety because of uncertainty about sickness condition, and boredom.
Additionally, these feelings can negatively affect a person’s mental health. Research suggests, quarantine can lead to unpleasant psychological effects, some of which can last for three years or longer1. Anxiety, acute stress disorder, sadness, fear of infections, irritability, persistent anger, irritability is the most common effects1.
Thus, we can anticipate that quarantine over an extended period can result in the worst mental health outcomes.
In this article, we will discuss the studies reported psychological impact of quarantine and ways to reduce its impact.
The Psychological Impact Of Quarantine
Research suggests that the psychological effect of being quarantined is substantial, wide-ranging, and perhaps long-lasting. Therefore, five studies were conducted to compare the psychological effect on people who were quarantined to those who were not quarantined2,3,4,5,6. One of these studies discovered that people exposed to COVID-19 developed acute stress disorder immediately following the nine-day quarantine period2.
Moreover, this study also demonstrated among quarantined people, exhaustion, irritability, impaired concentration, detachment from others, and anxiety symptoms were common2.
Similarly, another research reported that Individuals quarantined due to COVID-19 infection experienced negative emotions. For example, more than 20% (230 of 1057) showed fear, 18% (187) displayed uneasiness, 18% (186) reported despair, and 10% (101) reported guilt. Few respondents expressed positive emotions: 5% (48) expressed delight and 4% (43) expressed relief7.
Furthermore, another qualitative research reported a variety of additional psychological reactions to quarantine, including fear, confusion, anger, numbness grief, and anxiety-induced insomnia8,9.
How To Reduce The Psychological Impact Of Quarantine?
There are numbers of ways available, by which the psychological consequences of quarantine can be reduced.
- By Reducing Quarantine Duration
A prolonged quarantine period has been linked to negative psychological outcomes. For example, research reported that Quarantine extension, no matter how minor, is more likely to increase feelings of frustration experienced by those already in quarantine10. Limiting the duration of quarantine to what is scientifically reasonable in light of the known duration of incubation periods, and avoiding an overly cautious approach, would mitigate the effect on people. - By Providing Sufficient Supplies
One of the potential reasons behind anxiety among people is not having enough supplies. By providing sufficient supplies, the psychological impact of quarantine can be reduced. Therefore, officials must ensure that quarantined families have adequate supplies to meet their fundamental needs, which should be provided as quickly as possible. - By Reducing Boredom And Enhancing Communication
Boredom and isolation are distressing; individuals in isolation should be taught how to avoid boredom and given practical information on coping and stress management skills. - By Preferring The Altruism Strategy
The researchers believe that altruism can lessen distressing effects1. For instance, reminding infected people in quarantine to save other individuals like older people with previous medical conditions or young people can make difficult situations easier to bear. However, demanding self-quarantine for the community’s health is unacceptable. Therefore, by making people believe that they are doing this to keep their loved ones safe, some of the devastating psychological effects of quarantine can be reduced.
References
⦁ Brooks, Samantha K., et al. “The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence.” The lancet 395.10227 (2020): 912-920.
⦁ Bai Y, Lin C-C, Lin C-Y, Chen J-Y, Chue C-M, Chou P. Survey of stress reactions among health care workers involved with the SARS outbreak. Psychiatr Serv 2004; 55: 1055–57.
⦁ Liu X, Kakade M, Fuller CJ, et al. Depression after exposure to stressful events: lessons learned from the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Compr Psychiatry 2012; 53: 15–23.
⦁ Sprang G, Silman M. Posttraumatic stress disorder in parents and youth after health-related disasters. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2013; 7: 105–10.
⦁ Taylor MR, Agho KE, Stevens GJ, Raphael B. Factors influencing psychological distress during a disease epidemic: data from Australia’s first outbreak of equine influenza. BMC Public Health 2008; 8: 347.
⦁ Wu P, Fang Y, Guan Z, et al. The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk perception, and altruistic acceptance of risk. Can J Psychiatry 2009; 54: 302–11.
⦁ Reynolds DL, Garay JR, Deamond SL, Moran MK, Gold W, Styra R. Understanding, compliance and psychological impact of the SARS quarantine experience. Epidemiol Infect 2008; 136: 997–1007.
⦁ Desclaux A, Badji D, Ndione AG, Sow K. Accepted monitoring or endured quarantine? Ebola contacts’ perceptions in Senegal. Soc Sci Med 2017; 178: 38–45.
⦁ DiGiovanni C, Conley J, Chiu D, Zaborski J. Factors influencing compliance with quarantine in Toronto during the 2003 SARS outbreak. Biosecur Bioterror 2004; 2: 265–72.
⦁ Rona RJ, Fear NT, Hull L, et al. Mental health consequences of overstretch in the UK armed forces: first phase of a cohort study. BMJ 2007; 335: 603.