The relationships between ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and the financial and mental health experiences of Australian families
Abstract
Objectives
In 2020, Australia’s successful COVID-19 public health restrictions comprised a national ‘initial lockdown’ (March-May), and ‘ongoing lockdown’ (July-November) for metropolitan Victorian residents only. We evaluated the relationships between ongoing lockdown and family finances and mental health.
Methods
In the June and September 2020 Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Polls, caregivers of children in Victoria and New South Wales reported: job/income loss; material deprivation (inability to pay for essential items); income-poverty; mental health (Kessler-6); perceived impact on caregiver/child mental health; and caregiver/child coping. Data from N=1207/902 caregivers in June/September were analysed using Difference-in-Difference modelling (New South Wales provided the comparator).
Results
During Victoria’s ongoing lockdown, job/income loss increased by 11% (95%CI: 3-18%); Kessler-6 poor mental health by 6% (95%CI: -0.3-12%) and perceived negative mental health impacts by 14% for caregivers (95%CI: 6-23%) and 12% for children (95%CI: 4-20%). Female (versus male) caregivers, metropolitan (versus regional/rural) families, and families with elementary school-aged children (versus pre-/high-school) were most affected.
Conclusions
Ongoing lockdown was associated with negative experiences of mental health, employment, and income, but not deprivation or poverty, likely because of government income supplements introduced early in the pandemic. Future lockdowns require planned responses to outbreaks, and evidence-informed financial and mental health supports.
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