COVID-19, lockdowns or pre-existing trends? Factors driving poorer mental health of Australians in 2020
A large body of research, drawing on data from many different sources, shows the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on population mental health in Australia. However, the pandemic also presented significant challenges to the collection of robust data investigating mental health. There have, for example, been few Australian studies based on national probability samples or that include data following the same individuals from prior to the pandemic. This has made it difficult to disentangle the potentially different drivers of mental health. This presentation seeks to address some of these issues. It draws upon data from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study to understand the extent to which the mental health of Australians in 2020 reflected lockdowns, the more general adverse experiences associated with the pandemic, or the pre-existing trends in mental health evident in the Australian community prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaker Profile
Professor Peter Buttersworth, Australian National University
Peter Butterworth is a Professor at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH) at the Australian National University. His academic background is in psychology (PhD from UQ) and biostatistics (Masters from USyd). A major focus of his research is on the social causes and the social consequences of common mental disorders, and uses longitudinal and administrative data. He seeks to undertake research that informs health and social policy, and emphasises how mental health is related to factors such as unemployment, financial hardship and welfare receipt.
Event Details
- Date:
- 8 June 2022 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- In-person at Caulfield campus, Building H, Level 9, Room H914 and Zoom
- Categories:
- Health Economics; CHE Seminar
Description
A large body of research, drawing on data from many different sources, shows the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on population mental health in Australia. However, the pandemic also presented significant challenges to the collection of robust data investigating mental health. There have, for example, been few Australian studies based on national probability samples or that include data following the same individuals from prior to the pandemic. This has made it difficult to disentangle the potentially different drivers of mental health. This presentation seeks to address some of these issues. It draws upon data from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study to understand the extent to which the mental health of Australians in 2020 reflected lockdowns, the more general adverse experiences associated with the pandemic, or the pre-existing trends in mental health evident in the Australian community prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaker Profile
Professor Peter Buttersworth, Australian National University
Peter Butterworth is a Professor at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH) at the Australian National University. His academic background is in psychology (PhD from UQ) and biostatistics (Masters from USyd). A major focus of his research is on the social causes and the social consequences of common mental disorders, and uses longitudinal and administrative data. He seeks to undertake research that informs health and social policy, and emphasises how mental health is related to factors such as unemployment, financial hardship and welfare receipt.