title: COVID-19 Home Confinement Negatively Impacts Social Participation and Life Satisfaction: A Worldwide Multicenter Study
Creators: name: Ammar, Achraf
name: Chtourou, Hamdi
name: Boukhris, Omar
name: Trabelsi, Khaled
name: Masmoudi, Liwa
name: Brach, Michael
name: Bouaziz, Bassem
name: Bentlage, Ellen
name: How, Daniella
name: Ahmed, Mona
name: Mueller, Patrick
name: Müller, Notger Germar
name: Hsouna, Hsen
name: Aloui, Asma
name: Hammouda, Omar
name: Paineiras-Domingos, Laisa Liane
name: Braakman-Jansen, Annemarie
name: Wrede, Christian
name: Bastoni, Sophia
name: Pernambuco, Carlos Soares
name: Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Leonardo
name: Taheri, Morteza
name: Irandoust, Khadijeh
name: Khacharem, Aïmen
name: Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi
name: Strahler, Jana
name: Washif, Jad Adrian
name: Andreeva, Albina
name: Khoshnami, Samira C.
name: Samara, Evangelia
name: Zisi, Vasiliki
name: Sankar, Parasanth
name: Ahmed, Waseem N.
name: Romdhani, Mohamed
name: Delhey, Jan
name: Bailey, Stephen J.
name: Bott, Nicholas T.
name: Gargouri, Faiez
name: Chaari, Lotfi
name: Batatia, Hadj
name: Ali, Gamal Mohamed
name: Abdelkarim, Osama
name: Jarraya, Mohamed
name: El Abed, Kais
name: Souissi, Nizar
name: Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette van
name: Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette van
name: Riemann, Laurel
name: Moalla, Wassim
name: Gómez-Raja, Jonathan
name: Epstein, Monique
name: Sanderman, Robbert
name: Sanderman, Robbert
name: Sanderman, Robbert
name: Al-Horani, Ramzi
name: Al-Horani, Ramzi
name: Jmail, Mohamed
name: Barbosa, Fernando
name: Barbosa, Fernando
name: Šimunič, Boštjan
name: Pišot, Rado
name: Pišot, Saša
name: Gaggioli, Andrea
name: Gaggioli, Andrea
name: Apfelbacher, Christian
name: Steinacker, Jürgen
name: Saad, Helmi Ben
name: Glenn, Jordan M.
name: Chamari, Karim
name: Driss, Tarak
name: Hoekelmann, Anita
Publisher: name: University of Muenster, Institutional Repository MIAMI
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: 610 Medicine and health

description: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have enforced numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation, and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to mitigate spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on psychosocial health is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020 to elucidate the behavioral and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions. This report presents the preliminary results from more than one thousand responders on social participation and life satisfaction. Methods: Thirty-five research organizations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia, and the Americas promoted the survey through their networks to the general society, in 7 languages (English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Questions were presented in a differential format with questions related to responses "before" and "during" confinement conditions. Results: 1047 participations (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%), and others (3%) were included in the analysis. Findings revealed psychosocial strain during the enforced COVID-19 home confinement. Large decreases (p &lt; 0.001) in the amount of social activity through family (−58%), friends/neighbors (−44.9%), or entertainment (−46.7%) were triggered by the enforced confinement. These negative effects on social participation were also associated with lower life satisfaction (−30.5%) during the confinement period. Conversely, the social contact score through digital technologies significantly increased (p &lt; 0.001) during the confinement period with more individuals (+24.8%) being socially connected through digital technology. Conclusion: These preliminary findings elucidate the risk of psychosocial strain during the early COVID-19 home confinement period in 2020. Therefore, in order to mitigate the negative psychosocial effects of home confinement, implementation of national strategies focused on promoting social inclusion through a technology-based solution is strongly suggested.