Long, E. et al. (2022) COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social relationships and health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 76(2), pp. 128-132. (doi: 10.1136/jech-2021-216690) (PMID:34413184) (PMCID:PMC8380476)
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Abstract
This essay examines key aspects of social relationships that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses explicitly on relational mechanisms of health and brings together theory and emerging evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to make recommendations for future public health policy and recovery. We first provide an overview of the pandemic in the UK context, outlining the nature of the public health response. We then introduce four distinct domains of social relationships: social networks, social support, social interaction and intimacy, highlighting the mechanisms through which the pandemic and associated public health response drastically altered social interactions in each domain. Throughout the essay, the lens of health inequalities, and perspective of relationships as interconnecting elements in a broader system, is used to explore the varying impact of these disruptions. The essay concludes by providing recommendations for longer term recovery ensuring that the social relational cost of COVID-19 is adequately considered in efforts to rebuild.
Item Type: | Articles |
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Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Skivington, Dr Kathryn and Long, Dr Emily and McCann, Dr Mark and Lewis, Dr Ruth and Blake, Ms Carolyn and Patterson, Mrs Susan and Wilson-Lowe, Rachel and Mitchell, Professor Kirstin and Boso Perez, Ms Raquel and Maxwell, Dr Karen and Riddell, Miss Julie |
Authors: | Long, E., Patterson, S., Maxwell, K., Blake, C., Boso Perez, R., Lewis, R., McCann, M., Riddell, J., Skivington, K., Wilson-Lowe, R., and Mitchell, K. |
College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU |
Journal Name: | Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health |
Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
ISSN: | 0143-005X |
ISSN (Online): | 1470-2738 |
Published Online: | 19 August 2021 |
Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2021 The Authors |
First Published: | First published in Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 76(2): 128-132 |
Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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