We are currently facing an unprecedented situation but, to date there is no research into the psychology or social impact of pandemics. We will explore the mechanisms that may underpin psychological resilience to the pandemic as well as exploring the psychosocial impact of it. We will focus on psychological, social, community and societal variables, examining these factors at the individual and household levels. Using a representative household sampling method, we will explore individual resilience and subjective wellbeing to examine which psychological traits and social behaviours predict better individual, household and community outcomes in response to social distancing, isolation and testing positive for Covid-19.

In addition, Covid-19 is causing social care and support service closures across the country, and across the world at the moment. Such major modifications to social behaviour, enforced close living within households and, for many, reduced income exacerbating household debt is likely to have substantial and measurable effects on psychological health and societal structures, exacerbating social and health inequalities. This has a particular impact on older people with dementia and their carers, and therefore we propose a sub-study, investigating this group. A recent analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of

Ageing has also shown that community engagement and maintaining social activities is associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia (Fancourt et al., 2020), with social engagement having been linked to quality of life in dementia and older people in general (Giebel et al., 2016; Silverstein & Parker, 2002). With social isolation already being a big problem in the elderly (Shankar et al., 2013), Covid-19 related social care service closures and tight restrictions on leaving the house for a prolonged period(s) of time are likely to have significant impacts on older people with and without dementia and family carers.

Any queries please contact arcnwc@liverpool.ac.uk