The impact of COVID-19 social restrictions on culture and psychosocial well-being: The Ghanaian experience

Coronavirus is wreaking havoc in several ways, including health, economy, education, and other sociocultural activities. The global psychosocial impact especially due to the virus-related restrictions has also been enormous leading to psychological distress among many people. This chapter reviews the extent to which coronavirus lockdown and restrictions have affected the life of the people of Ghana. Ghanaians generally have a strong communal life which transcends their sociocultural background. The sociocultural impact of the coronavirus restrictions therefore was pronounced on the people because a lot of their economic activities were negatively affected since such activities thrive best on a strong sociocultural base. The health belief of the people related to tackling the menace of the coronavirus pandemic indicates that some of the people do not perceive the coronavirus as a major threat and therefore may not strictly follow the protocols. This attitude may hamper the effort being made to control the spread of the virus. Public stigmatization is also significantly high among a section of the population making it difficult for people who suspect that they have the coronavirus to seek healthcare. Extensive public education and behavior change approaches have been recommended to help inculcate positive attitudes toward bringing the coronavirus under control.