Quarantine is a range of scalable interventions to separate or restrict movement (e.g. isolation or detention) of individuals and populations exposed to contagious diseases until it is known whether they will become sick or pass the disease on to others. Quarantine can be applied at the individual, family, community or national level and has been used throughout history to contain outbreaks of infectious diseases including bubonic plague, influenza pandemics, smallpox, SARS and Ebola.
Studies during the COVID-19 pandemic have reported psychological impacts of quarantine ranging from anxiety and depression to psychotic symptoms. These are attributed to the confinement and isolation from family, friends and work, lack of privacy and social interaction, food and water shortages and limited access to entertainment. The studies also report a range of other negative consequences such as fatigue, insomnia, irritability and guilt.
The present study seeks to investigate the psychological impact of the quarantine measure on individuals by assessing the risk factors that make an individual more vulnerable to experience these effects and also the protective factors that can reduce these effects. It was conducted based on a socio-ecological framework, which provides an understanding of the interplay between different levels i.e. individual, interpersonal, organisational and community that influence a phenomenon under investigation.
Two authors extracted information independently and the data was cross-checked. The results were interpreted and classified according to the criteria of the framework. This study identifies the key issues and the need to develop interventions that can mitigate or alleviate the negative effects of quarantine.
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