Coronavirus (COVID-19): mental health tracker study - wave 1 report
Findings of wave 1 of the Scottish COVID-19 (SCOVID) Mental Health Tracker Study based on questionnaire data collected between 28 May and 21 June 2020 (a period which coincided with the Phase 1 easing of lockdown measures).
2. Sample and Respondent Characteristics
A total of 2604 respondents took part in the Wave 1 SCOVID Mental Health Tracker Study, however as previously stated, the results are weighted to reflect the Scottish population and thus reports on 2514 respondents. See Table 2.1 for weighted sample characteristics. The weighted sample was 51.8% women (sex assigned at birth) and 23.4% were aged 18–29 years, with 46.8% and 29.8% aged 30-59 and 60+ years. The majority of the sample was White (95.1%) and over half of the respondents (57.7%) were married or living with a partner and the majority were heterosexual (89.8%). Around half the sample had a HNC/D or degree level education (48.9%), and over half the sample was in the higher (A, B, C1) socioeconomic groups (SEG) (61.0%). Respondents were recruited from across Scotland providing representation from all of the NHS health boards, and from rural and urban communities (Table E in the annex). Over three quarters of the sample (78.6%) lived in urban areas, which is slightly lower than the 83.0% reported by the Office of National Statistics (ONS, 2018).
| Characteristic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age group, years | 18-29 % | 30-59 % | 60+ % | Total % |
| Sexa | ||||
| Men | 51.6 | 46.7 | 48.2 | 48.2 |
| Women | 48.4 | 53.3 | 51.8 | 51.8 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| White | 89.3 | 95.1 | 99.6 | 95.1 |
| Asian | 5.1 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 2.6 |
| Black | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| Mixed | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Other/prefer not to say | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Relationship status | ||||
| Married/living with partner | 35.2 | 64.6 | 64.9 | 57.7 |
| Single | 60.8 | 25.7 | 11.7 | 29.7 |
| Separated/ divorced/widowed | 0.3 | 9.4 | 23.3 | 11.5 |
| Other/prefer not to say | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| Sexuality | ||||
| Heterosexual | 80.1 | 90.1 | 96.6 | 89.8 |
| Gay or bisexual | 15.8 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 8.5 |
| Other/prefer not to say | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Highest Qualification | ||||
| No Qualifications | 8.5 | 8.3 | 32.9 | 15.7 |
| Secondary school education (standard grades/ National 5's/ Highers/ A levels) | 38.7 | 38.3 | 27.1 | 35.0 |
| HNC/D or Degree/prof or other | 52.5 | 53.1 | 39.3 | 48.9 |
| Other | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Employment status | ||||
| Employed | 50.8 | 74.2 | 20.1 | 52.6 |
| Unemployed | 14.3 | 12.7 | 3.9 | 10.5 |
| Other (retired, education, homemaker) | 34.9 | 13.1 | 76.0 | 36.9 |
| Key worker role | 24.3 | 27.8 | 5.6 | 20.4 |
| Carer role | 15.6 | 19.3 | 15.0 | 17.1 |
| Socioeconomic grouping c | ||||
| High | 53.7 | 64.5 | 61.1 | 61.0 |
| Low | 46.3 | 35.5 | 38.9 | 39.0 |
| Tenure | ||||
| Own (including with mortgage) | 35.2 | 64.7 | 78.5 | 61.9 |
| Private rent | 31.8 | 12.1 | 5.1 | 14.6 |
| Council rent | 18.5 | 20.6 | 14.0 | 18.2 |
| Other | 14.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 5.3 |
| Property type | ||||
| House | 60.8 | 69.1 | 77.5 | 69.7 |
| Room in shared house | 1.0 | 0.2 | - | 0.3 |
| Apartment or flat in block | 36.1 | 29.5 | 20.1 | 28.2 |
| Student Halls | 1.4 | - | - | 0.3 |
| Residential home | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Other | - | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
Note:*data are weighted to more accurately reflect the Scottish population a n=2499, b Unpaid caring responsibilities, c categories A,B,C1= high socioeconomic; categories C2, D, E= low socioeconomic.
The findings within this report highlight differences in mental health and wellbeing according to different subgroups, which are outlined in Table 2.2. Descriptions of these subgroups are included in section 1 in the annex.
| Grouping variable | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender a | Men | 48.8 |
| Women | 51.5 | |
| Age | 18-29 years | 23.4 |
| 30-59 years | 46.8 | |
| 60+ years | 29.8 | |
| Ethnicity | White | 95.1 |
| BAME b | 4.9 | |
| Socioeconomic group c | Lower half | 39.0 |
| Higher half | 61.0 | |
| Pre-existing mental health condition d | No MH | 86.9 |
| Yes MH | 13.1 | |
| Rural vs. Urban | Rural | 21.4 |
| Urban | 78.6) | |
| Unpaid carer: any e | No | 82.4 |
| Yes | 17.0 | |
| Unpaid carer: 5+ hours week | No | 88.7 |
| Yes | 10.6 | |
| Key worker | No | 79.6 |
| Yes | 20.4 | |
| Change of working status f | No | 51.4 |
| Yes | 48.6 | |
| High risk g | No | 78.1 |
| Yes | 21.6 | |
| Shielding h | No | 92.8 |
| Yes | 6.6 | |
| Live alone | No | 77.5 |
| Yes | 22.5 | |
| Dependents under 5 years | No | 91.2 |
| Yes | 8.8 | |
| Dependents under 16 years | No | 75.2 |
| Yes | 24.8 |
a Gender= gender assigned at birth, b BAME = Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, c Socioeconomic group (SEG) Lower SEG i.e. C2 Skilled manual occupations, DE Semi-skilled & unskilled manual occupations, Unemployed and lowest grade occupations. Higher SEG i.e. AB Higher & intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations, C1 Supervisory, clerical & junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations, d any pre-existing mental health condition (e.g., depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD) No MH = no pre-existing mental health condition Yes MH = pre-existing mental health condition, e Unpaid caring responsibilities including any regular help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of either long-term physical, mental ill-health, disability, or old age, f Working from home, furloughed, reduction in paid employment, gIncludes aged 70+ and underlying health condition, h Received a shielding letter from the government
Contact
Email: Social_Research@gov.scot
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