Introduction: Social distancing and sheltering-in-place mitigate the physical health risks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); however, there are concerns about the impact on mental health and social engagement. Methods: We used data from a U.S.-based online survey (March 2020) to examine patterns of social support and prosocial behavior, explore differences between people with and without depression or anxiety, and explore correlates of social engagement in both groups, including symptom severity in the clinical group. Results: The clinical group reported greater social engagement. In both groups, social engagement was positively associated with COVID-19-related worry and trait moral elevation; mindfulness was positively associated with all outcomes for the clinical group only. Social interaction frequency had little influence on outcomes. Depressive symptom severity was positively associated with all outcomes, whereas anxiety was negatively associated with prosocial behavior. Discussion: These findings highlight how social engagement was experienced early in the U.S. COVID-19 crisis.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are highly comorbid among the veteran population. Impulsivity, particularly negative and positive urgency, are prevalent within this dual-diagnosis population and associated with negative outcomes. One possible correlate of negative/positive urgency is intolerance of uncertainty (IU). IU is associated with exacerbated PTSD symptom severity and increased risk for substance use. However, few studies have examined the link between IU and negative/positive urgency in dual-diagnosis populations. This study aimed to examine whether there was a significant association between trait IU and baseline negative and positive urgency in veterans seeking treatment for both PTSD and SUD. In a sample of 114 veterans from a 6-week residential treatment program, IU was significantly associated with higher negative and positive urgency. Further research is warranted to extend these findings and examine whether IU plays an important role in negative/positive urgency for dual-diagnosis populations.
COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders have caused disruptions in social interactions. Vulnerable populations, such as those in early substance use recovery, that rely on social support and social engagement have faced many challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore potential associations between perceived social support and recovery related outcomes, correlates of recovery related outcomes among face-to-face and virtual engagement, and identify characteristics that are predictive of perceived social support. Results revealed that social support was positively associated with quality of life and abstinence self-efficacy, and negatively associated with psychological distress. Additionally, recovery related outcomes differed among face-to-face and virtual interactions. Lastly, characteristics such as gratitude, mindfulness, and coping were positively associated with perceived social support.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.