A report from a United Kingdom university, Bangor University, found that individuals who complied with COVID-19 mandates are more likely to have lingering mental health issues than those who did not comply with government restrictions.
Researchers separated 1,729 individuals based on their personalities and surveyed them for three months.
“Individuals higher in agentic personality were less likely to comply with lockdown regulations, infection prevention advice, and health messaging compared to individuals higher in communal personality,” the study found.
According to the study’s findings, “The more individuals complied with health advice during lockdown, the worse their well-being post-lockdown.”
Agentic personalities, or those who tend to be more self-focused and believe the mandates threatened “their sense of personal competence and independence,” are more likely to follow mandates “when they understand the personal health risks and consequences of not complying.”
Communal personalities are “more likely to comply with health advice because it aligns with their nurturing tendencies.”
The study acknowledged that fear played a role in mandate compliance.
“During the COVID-19 lockdown, anxiety-provoking health messages were effective in improving compliance. However, messages targeting people’s recovery and transition back to normality post-lockdown were less prevalent, potentially hindering the recovery of millions,” the researchers wrote.
“Our findings suggest that, although increasing worry is effective in driving behavioural compliance during pandemics, using such strategies undermines people’s well-being and psychological recovery. Specifically, people with higher Communal traits are likely to still be suffering from the effects of the lockdown period for some time after restrictions end. Without guidance, these people are more likely to maintain the infection prevention behaviours recommended during lockdown, which may undermine their psychological recovery post-lockdown.”
Another study found that those who wore masks were more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who did not.
According to researchers, incidents of contracting COVID-19 were 33% higher in those wearing face masks “often or sometimes,” and 40% higher in those wearing face masks “almost always or always.”
“We believe the observed increased incidents of infection associated with wearing a face mask is likely due to unobservable and hence nonadjustable differences between those wearing and not wearing a mask,” the study said.
The authors noted that wearing face masks was also “associated with an increased relative risk of experiencing respiratory symptoms.”
