Malaysians’ mental health and lifestyle behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative approach

The objective was to explore the experiences of Malaysian Chinese and Indians during the lockdown, with a focus on mental health and lifestyle behavior factors that affected their work, health, and social lives, as well as their coping strategies during this period. Fifteen Malaysians (11 Chinese, 3 Indian, 1 Chinese–Indian) were interviewed from July to September 2020 about the factors that affected their mental health and lifestyle behaviors. Four main categories were identified: (1) factors affecting mental health, (2) factors affecting lifestyle behaviors during the pandemic lockdown, (3) the consequences of these factors, and (4) coping strategies during the pandemic. Participants revealed largely negative consequences that affected their mental health and lifestyle behaviors, with factors of deterioration emerging from the environmental to the individual level. Most participants distracted themselves with activities as a form of coping strategy, while other coping behaviors were minimally engaged. The study findings showed the complexity underlying the maintenance of mental health and lifestyle behaviors during the pandemic, spanning from the individual to the environmental level, which affects the design of effective public policies and interventions.