Childcare, work from home and the evolution of mental health in times of COVID-19: Evidence from the Netherlands

Abstract

We study the co-evolution of mental health with the most prominent risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic for the Dutch working population. We exploit data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panel from before the pandemic and five questionnaires in its first year. We find mental health decreased sharply with the onset of the first lockdown but recovered quickly, reaching levels comparable to those a year earlier. Labor market uncertainty, perceived infection risk, and loneliness are all associated with worsening mental health. Moreover, parents of children younger than 12 experience a significant drop in mental health.