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Highlights: What We Already Know? The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial disruption to daily life. The pandemic increased anxiety and depression in the general population of New Zealand in its first 3 months. What This Article Adds? This study found that depression and anxiety reduced over the first year of the pandemic in New Zealanders. However, even in a country with low transmission, anxiety and depression remained elevated compared to pre-pandemic norms. Younger age, being a pet owner, negative life events, and having mental health disorder increased the risk of anxiety and depression. This longitudinal study investigated changes in and risk factors for anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in a New Zealand cohort. Online surveys were distributed to 681 participants at three time-points: May 2020 (Time 1), August–September 2020 (Time 2), and March–April 2021 (Time 3). Participants completed measures of anxiety and depression, alongside measures of possible risk/protective factors. A total of 261 participants completed all three surveys and were included in analyses. Depression and anxiety reduced over time; however, levels were still significantly higher than pre-pandemic norms. Being younger, having a prior mental health disorder, experiencing negative life events due to COVID-19, and being a pet owner were risk factors for poorer depression and anxiety, whereas having higher positive mood was protective. This study demonstrates persisting negative effects of the pandemic on anxiety and depression in a context of low transmission and highlights the importance of providing psychological help to those most at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that psychological factors may influence vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection, although the mechanisms are unclear. We examined whether the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may be a possible mechanism, by measuring the relationship between indices of psychological distress and cortisone in hair (hairE) in a UK cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 827) provided two 3 cm hair samples over a 6-month period between April-September 2020. Samples reflected hairE in the 3 months prior to the collection date. HairE in the first samples (T1: commenced April 2020) did not differ significantly from pre-pandemic population norms. However, hairE in the second samples (T2: commenced July 2020) were significantly higher than T1 and pre-pandemic population norms, with a 23% increase between T1 and T2. Linear regressions, controlling for age and gender, demonstrated that at both timepoints, hairE levels were greatest in people with a history of mental health difficulties. In addition, stress reported at T1 predicted greater hairE at T2 and a greater change in hairE between T1 and T2. These findings demonstrate that during the COVID-19 pandemic hairE was substantially elevated across a large community cohort, with greatest levels in those with a history of mental health difficulties and greatest changes in those reporting greatest levels of stress early in the pandemic. Further research is required with verified SARS-CoV-2 outcomes to determine whether the HPA axis is among the mechanisms by which a history of mental health difficulties and stress influence SARS-CoV-2 outcomes. • Hair cortisone significantly increased by 23% in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Stress at the start of the pandemic associated with greater increases in cortisone. • Increased cortisone more likely in people with previous mental health difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]