Social mobility is limited in most industrialized countries, and especially in the United States: Children born to relatively poor parents are less likely to prosper than other children. This observation has multiple explanations; in the current article, we focus on emerging motivational perspectives, synthesizing them into a novel integrative framework grounded in a classic theory of motivation: expectancy-value theory. Together, these findings indicate that individuals with lower socioeconomic status (SES) may be less motivated to achieve status relative to individuals with higher SES—not because of their own personal failings, but as a result of their material, social and cultural contexts. We then consider the significant theoretical advantages of this integrative framework, most notably that it enables us to consider how the disparate perspectives linking motivation to SES are linked and may at times compound or offset each other. In turn, this enables us to make sophisticated predictions concerning the conditions that will enable individuals with low SES to escape the vicious cycle of low motivation. Moreover, our account helps bridge the gap between explanations that locate the cause for low social mobility within individuals and those that locate it in the broader system. We end by addressing implications for the psychological understanding of low status and implications for social policy.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people’s daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults. Objective We aim to (1) investigate how COVID-19 restrictions influence daily activities, (2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time, and (3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions. Methods This is a longitudinal, concurrent, mixed methods study being conducted in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data collection occurred at four time points, between April 2020 and February 2021. The first three data collection time points occurred within phases 1 to 3 of the Province of BC’s Restart Plan. The final data collection coincided with the initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. At each time point, data regarding participants’ sociodemographics, depressive and anxiety symptoms, resilience, boredom, social support, instrumental activities of daily living, and social media and technology use were collected in an online survey. These data supplemented qualitative videoconference interviews exploring participants’ COVID-19–related experiences. Participants were also asked to upload photos representing their experience during the restriction period, which facilitated discussion during the final interview. Five groups of participants were recruited: (1) families with children under the age of 18 years, (2) adults with an SCI, (3) adults who experienced a stroke, (4) adults with other types of disabilities, and (5) older adults (>64 years of age) with no self-reported disability. The number of participants we could recruit from each group was limited, which may impact the validity of some subgroup analyses. Results This study was approved by the University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board (Approval No. H20-01109) on April 17, 2020. A total of 81 participants were enrolled in this study and data are being analyzed. Data analyses are expected to be completed in fall 2021; submission of multiple papers for publication is expected by winter 2021. Conclusions Findings from our study will inform the development and recommendations of a new resource guide for the post–COVID-19 period and for future public health emergencies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/28337

UNSTRUCTURED Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-scale changes in societal organization. This has dramatically altered people’s daily activities, especially among families with young children, those living with disabilities such as spinal cord injury (SCI), those who have experienced a stroke, and older adults. We aim to 1) investigate how COVID restrictions influence daily activities 2) track the psychosocial effects of these restrictions over time; and 3) identify strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of these restrictions. Methods and analysis: This project is a longitudinal concurrent mixed-methods study in British Columbia, Canada. Data collection occurred at four time points, between April 2020 and February 2021. The first three data collection time points occurred within phases 1-3 of the Province of British Columbia Restart Plan. The final data collection coincided with the initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. At each time point, participants’ socio-demographics, depressive and anxiety symptoms, resilience, boredom, social support, instrumental activities of daily living, and social-media and technology use were collected in an online survey. These data supplemented qualitative videoconference interviews exploring participants’ COVID-19 related experiences. Participants were also asked to upload photos representing their experience during the restriction period, which facilitated discussion during the final interview. We recruited five groups of participants: 1) families with children under the age of 18, 2) adults who have a spinal cord injury (SCI), 3) experienced a stroke or 4) other types of disabilities, and 5) older adults (>64 years) with no self-reported disability. The total sample size is 82. We are limited in the number of participants we could recruit from each group, which may make some sub-group analyses challenging. Ethics and dissemination: Findings from our study will inform the development and recommendation of a new resource guide for the post-COVID period and for future public health emergencies.