“I’ve become very introverted”: Long-term Social and Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Internationally, COVID-19 has impacted populations because of both infections and measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The pandemic's long-term social and psychological effects on the Dutch population were studied. Method: The GOR-COVID-19 health monitor 1 includes quarterly measurements among youth (12- to 24-year-olds) and adult (25 and older) panels. The measurements of June and September 2022 included the open-ended question, ‘In your life at this moment, do you still feel the effects of the corona pandemic from the last 2.5 years?’ The first author qualitatively analyzed the responses (7.171 in total) through descriptive coding. A team member did a co-coder reliability check. Results: In the questionnaire, various people name positive effects of the pandemic, such as being able to spend time alone or feeling more confident. However, many respondents describe how the pandemic negatively affected their social life, mental health, personal development, financial situation, and perception of society. People who experienced life transitions show vulnerability to social isolation while working and learning online because they missed the opportunity to establish a new social network. Among them are young people who started secondary school, university, or their first job during the pandemic. The youth also often describe having difficulty with social interaction, feeling they have ‘unlearned’ to be in large groups or interact with strangers. Older generations, in contrast, comment on their own continued cautiousness. Conclusion: After years of pandemic, fear of contamination and social distancing measures have impacted society and individuals. The findings raise the question, ‘How will the experience of a pandemic continue to shape society and, in particular, what will be the lasting effects on the social networks and mental health of generation Z?’ 1 See Integrated GOR-COVID-19 health monitor and The Dutch GOR-Covid-19 health monitor, both in the European Journal of Public Health (2022) 32:3.