Publication date: Aug 29, 2025
The COVID-19 lockdowns led to significant resource constraints, potentially impacting mental health and decision-making behaviors. Understanding the psychological and behavioral consequences could inform designing interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of episodic scarcity during crises like pandemics. To investigate the effects of perceived scarcity on mental health (stress and fear), cognitive functioning, time and risk preferences (present bias and risk aversion), and trade-offs between groceries, health, and temptation goods during and after the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai. A quasi-natural experiment was conducted in Shanghai during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Web-based surveys were administered in May 2022 (during lockdown) and September 2022 (post-lockdown). Propensity score matching was used to balance demographic factors between the groups (During: n=332; After: n=339). Data were analyzed using regression analyses, controlling for potential confounders and applying propensity score matching weights. Perceived scarcity was significantly higher during the lockdown (mean 7. 97 (SD 2. 1)) than after (mean 4. 35 (SD 2. 27); P
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Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Isoxaflutole |