These past two years the pandemic has taken a devastating toll both globally and nationally. In order to combat disease spread, we have seen global lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and social distancing efforts in an attempt to contain this infectious disease. Contact tracing projects have been implemented nationwide as a public health tool to slow the spread of COVID-19. This past J-Term, I worked as a COVID-19 Student Contact Tracer for the Butler County Health District as my Global Health Immersion Experience. The purpose of a Global Health Immersion Experience is to give students the opportunity to experience global health outside of the classroom through off-campus experiences with a global health organization. As a result of contact tracing, I gained firsthand knowledge of the various stressors, worries, frustrations and anxieties that surround those placed in isolation or quarantine. This led me to a research question of, “How has the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, isolation and social stigma affected psychological health in the U.S?” After conducting a thorough literature review, studies suggest that there is currently a psychiatric epidemic accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of U.S of adults reporting symptoms of an anxiety disorder and/or depression increased substantially during the pandemic and amounts were reported highest among adults aged 18-24. There are likely to be many long-term effects of quarantine, isolation and COVID-19 social stigma on mental health. Moving forward, there will need to be more resources targeting this psychiatric epidemic we are currently seeing and continued mental health support post-pandemic. In future contact tracing projects, connecting people with mental health resources during phone calls and including resources on isolation and quarantine letters may help individuals with needed mental health support.
Author: Cassidy Jenkins
Advisors: Cameron Hay-Rollins, Ph.D, Anthropolgy; Paul Flaspohler Ph.D., Psychology
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