The COVID-19 Work and Health Study

Study Progress: First Survey

Click here for PDF report - First Survey (5 August 2020)

2,603 people completed the first survey, of which 2,152 (83%) consented to follow-up surveys.

​

Four groups have been defined based on their degree of work loss during COVID-19 (see right). All participants were working prior to the pandemic.

​

The first survey period closed in late June 2020 and the 1-month follow-up survey closed in late July 2020.

Mental Health at First Survey

Psychological Distress (Kessler-6 Scale)

Low or no distress

Lost job

Stood down

Moderate or high distress

Working less

Unaffected

There were higher rates of psychological distress in the groups of people who had lost work or lost their jobs at the first survey, conducted from April to June 2020.

​

Statistical analysis* showed that:

​

• people who had lost their jobs were 2.6 times more likely to report psychological distress than those whose work was unaffected

• people who had been stood down or were working less were 2.1 to 2.3 times more likely to report being distressed than those whose work was unaffected

*Multivariate logistic regression analysis testing the association between group status and distress adjusting for age, gender, social interaction, financial distress, presence of pre-existing conditions and survey administration method.

Physical Health at First Survey

A small proportion of people in all groups reported physical health below population average at the first survey.

​

​Statistical analysis* showed that people who had lost their jobs, been stood down or working less were 1.9 to 2.0 times more likely to report below average physical health than those whose work was unaffected.

*Multivariate logistic regression analysis testing the association between group status and distress adjusting for age, gender, social interaction, financial distress, presence of pre-existing conditions and survey administration method.