Covid-19 Impacts on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Researchers, Partners, and Research Communities
Covid-19 Impacts on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Researchers, Partners, and Research Communities

Summary/Abstract: Background: In the United Kingdom, over five years, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and UK Re¬search and Innovation (UKRI) have made more than to 300 awards under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton portfolios. These awards have drawn on AHRC’s research base to address development challenges that are ultimately global challenges, including poverty reduction, global health, climate change, resilience, conflict, displacement, inclusive education, and rapid urbanization.Objective: This paper focuses on data from a selection of projects from both the GCRF and Newton portfolios in order to evaluate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. A focus of the study is on researchers and their families, on research partners and other affiliates as well as within the communities where these projects take place. A particular attention is paid on the impact of COVID-19 on different aspects of life and social practices as well as changes in the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of researchers as part of and during the research process. Methods: The data in this project comes from PRAXIS, a £1m research project from the University of Leeds, which covers four main areas of research; namely those of Heritage, Conflict and Displacement, COVID-19 and Climate Change, and Youth Engagement. In this paper, the data presented is only from the COVID-19 Strand that examined 248 projects from both the GCRF and Newton portfolios. The data was gathered via a desk-based assessment, two surveys, twenty-one interviews, as well as twelve case studies. Results: The COVID-19 pandemic increased pressure on already strained research systems highlighting some key challenges and issues. With the pandemic impacts, the sense of isolation and loneliness increased as well as the need for additional mental health support. Mental health concerns were often reported in the context of deteriorating mental health for academics and practitioners involved in the projects. The trauma of the pandemic and its effects led to reports of frustration, disempowerment, lack of agency, sadness, depression, and even symptoms associated with PTSD. Respondents also described the impact of the lockdowns on productivity and mental health, with many more work hours required to attain a similar level of pre-Covid quality. For communities, the main impacts of the pandemic were also the lockdowns and their subsequent impact on mental health. Conclusion Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, there were valuable lessons learned about the need and the method of preserving vulnerable communities as well as maintaining the health of researchers, partners, and communities by balancing the home and work life.

• Details
• Contents