Exploring Changes in Consciousness, Cognition, and Anxiety Amid Social Isolation: China’s Strict COVID-19 Measures as a Case Study

Prolonged social isolation is known to cause alterations in conscious experience, such as hallucination, and cognitive problems. Surprisingly, although COVID-19 quarantine policies involved long periods of physical confinement and isolation, little is known as to whether this was associated with alterations in consciousness and cognition. We conducted a comprehensive survey of 300 Chinese participants who were subjected to very strict COVID-19 quarantine while answering the survey. Forty percent of the participants indicated having more cognitive problems and psychotic-like symptoms during quarantine compared to before. These problems varied systematically with quarantine conditions: Fewer face-to-face interactions were associated with increased psychotic symptoms, cognitive problems, and anxiety. Smaller quarantine spaces were associated with increased psychotic symptoms and anxiety. Longer quarantine duration when quarantined outside of home was associated with increased anxiety and decreased positive outcomes. These findings provide novel insights into the impact of quarantine on consciousness, cognition, and the resilience factors that may counteract such disturbances. More broadly, the findings indicate that changes in consciousness and cognition, previously well-documented in other contexts following extended social isolation, also apply to the enforced quarantine during the pandemic.

Duke Scholars

Author David C. Rubin Psychology & Neuroscience