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Category: Project

Description: The UK Government response to the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an enforced global ‘lockdown’ of citizens in their own homes, under conditions of extreme social avoidance with active encouragement of physical distancing, closure of almost all schools, business, venues, facilities, amenities and places of worship and repeated handwashing to reduce the risk of contamination. This period lasted roughly 3 months, from late March to early July 2020, during which these precautionary behaviours were repeatedly reinforced by multiple forms of media (TV, radio, online, newspapers), giving time for the behaviours to become habitual. This study is aimed at investigating adjustment to the easing of pandemic restrictions. We are interested in: - Exploring how difficult it is to readjust to normal life after 3 months of lockdown. - Assessing lifestyle, mood, anxiety and stress in the general population during this transition phase. - Assessing if inflexible (obsessive compulsive) personality traits can predict a poor ability to adjustment to the easing of lockdown. - Investigating if cognitive inflexibility as measured by a digital task can predict poor adjustment. The study will consist of an online-based questionnaire followed by an online thinking task, disseminated via social media, email and other channels.