{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T15:10:15Z","timestamp":1788448215401,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]],"date-time":"2024-04-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1712534400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>We investigated changes over time in mental and social wellbeing indicators for vulnerable population subgroups during the pandemic. These groups were younger people, people with disabilities, low-income groups, unemployed, culturally, and linguistically diverse communities (CaLD), and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A series of four repeated population representative surveys were conducted in June 2020, September 2020, January 2022, and June 2022. Questions included items on psychological distress, financial hardship, social connection, and life satisfaction.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>For most groups, social connection and life satisfaction improved in 2022 relative to 2020. Psychological distress and financial hardship showed the opposite pattern, with some groups having worse results in 2022 relative to 2020. People without any vulnerability had better mental health and social wellbeing outcomes at each time point relative to the vulnerable population subgroups.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Pandemic-related policies had differential effects over time and for different population groups. Future policies and research need to closely monitor how they impact population subgroups, and the overall results clearly demonstrate the inequity in mental health and social wellbeing outcomes for vulnerable population cohorts.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1337401","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]],"date-time":"2024-04-08T15:08:15Z","timestamp":1712588895000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Mental and social wellbeing trajectory during the pandemic for vulnerable populations"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Andrew","family":"Joyce","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thach","family":"Tran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruby","family":"Stocker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jane","family":"Fisher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1077","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19031077","article-title":"The mental health and social media use of young Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"19","author":"Bailey","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"558","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19010558","article-title":"Evaluating how mental health changed in Australia through the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the \u2018taking the pulse of the nation\u2019 (TTPN) survey","volume":"19","author":"Botha","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"152324","DOI":"10.1016\/j.comppsych.2022.152324","article-title":"Lifestyle behaviours and mental health and wellbeing of tertiary students during COVID-19 lockdown in Australia: a cross-sectional study","volume":"116","author":"Dash","year":"2022","journal-title":"Compr Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"619331","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.619331","article-title":"The effect of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing in a representative sample of Australian adults","volume":"11","author":"Dawel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psych"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-12897-4","article-title":"Changes in work and health of Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal cohort study","volume":"22","author":"Griffiths","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1465","DOI":"10.1007\/s00787-021-01790-x","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 on the lives and mental health of Australian adolescents","volume":"31","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"649","DOI":"10.1177\/1039856220947945","article-title":"COVID-19 and the mental well-being of Australian medical students: impact, concerns and coping strategies used","volume":"28","author":"Lyons","year":"2020","journal-title":"Australas Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"653","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2020.08.008","article-title":"The impact of physical distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on health and well-being among Australian adolescents","volume":"67","author":"Munasinghe","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0236562","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0236562","article-title":"Acute mental health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia","volume":"15","author":"Newby","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1186\/s12992-020-00624-w","article-title":"Factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia","volume":"16","author":"Rahman","year":"2020","journal-title":"Glob Health"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2281","DOI":"10.1007\/s11136-021-03043-5","article-title":"How is your life? 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