Shelter-in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on secondary health conditions, anxiety, loneliness, social isolation, social connectedness, and positive affect and well-being.

Abstract

Context/objective: The objective of this study was to examine the implications of shelter-in-place (SIP) during the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary health conditions (SHC), loneliness, social isolation, social connectedness, anxiety, and positive affect and well-being (PAWB) among community-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: An online exploratory cross-sectional descriptive design.

Participants: 131 community-dwelling adults with SCI.

Outcome measures: UCLA Loneliness Scale, SCI-QOL - Anxiety and PAWB.

Results: Respondents were approximately 33 years old, mostly male and Caucasian. More than half reported being married, living with their spouse in a home with modifications, or living in a household of three or more people. More than half reported experiencing more pain during SIP but not experiencing more of any other SHC than before SIP. On average, participants experienced a moderate level of loneliness, severe anxiety, and higher levels of PAWB during SIP.

Conclusion: Respondents reported that they experienced more pain, loneliness, and anxiety while at the same time reporting higher PAWB. Future research should focus on understanding the nuances of the seemingly counterintuitive relationship described here to develop better ways to support community-dwelling adults with SCI during public health emergencies and SIP.