Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with

Okabe‐Miyamoto, Karynna; Folk, Dunigan; Lyubomirsky, Sonja; Dunn, Elizabeth W.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245009

Cited by 90 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Fears of family contracting COVID-19 are consistent with emerging literature on the subject [ 45 ]. The specific stress of social distancing reported by respondents is also consistent with findings in the literature [ 46 ]. The findings regarding the added stress of domestic relationships is consistent with prior literature that links increases in domestic stress and violence during natural disasters [ 47 ] and the COVID-19 pandemic [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“This Pandemic Is Making Me More Anxious about My Welfare and the Welfare of Others:” COVID-19 Stressors and Mental Health

Moore

Zielinski

Thompson

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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COVID-19 and subsequent social distancing guidelines have changed many aspects of people’s daily lives including the way that they interact within their social environment. Pandemics are inherently social phenomena, and public health measures intended to curtail transmission of COVID-19 (e.g., quarantine and social distancing) have consequences for individuals with anxiety and depression. Using qualitative methods, respondents with previously diagnosed anxiety or depression identified ways in which COVID-19 affected their symptoms at multiple levels of the social ecological model (SEM). Key themes reported were organized following the SEM. Emergent themes at the individual level are isolation/loneliness, fear of contracting COVID-19, and uncertainty about the future. Themes at the interpersonal level are: fears of family contracting COVID-19, separation from family members, and domestic relationships. Themes at the level of community and societal stressors are: employment, community and societal systems, media, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings demonstrate the ways that mental health, physical health/safety, and social environments are interrelated in the experience of COVID-19 for individuals diagnosed with anxiety or depression. These findings make a significant contribution to the literature as this is the first article to document mental health stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with diagnosed anxiety and depressive disorders.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“This Pandemic Is Making Me More Anxious about My Welfare and the Welfare of Others:” COVID-19 Stressors and Mental Health

Moore

Zielinski

Thompson

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Third, negotiating what constitutes appropriate household pandemic behaviors (e.g., how often to sanitize surfaces) with adult co-habitants that hold different standards could be stressful. Fourth, it is possible that the amount of social support received from co-habitants, and thus the extent to which they reduce or exacerbate the stress-life satisfaction association, depends not merely on the number of co-habitants, but on who they are (Okabe-Miyamoto et al, 2021). Future research can investigate which, if any of these explanations accounts for the partial support of our moderation hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Two’s Company, but Four’s a Crowd: The Relationship Among COVID-19 Stress, Household Size, and Life Satisfaction

Neal

2021

Collabra: Psychology

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COVID-19 has induced stress motivated by individuals’ fears of infection and death, while mitigation efforts have also exacerbated stress by reducing individuals’ income, creating feelings of social isolation, and imposing barriers to obtaining basic resources. In this study, we use a representative sample of 693 adults in Michigan to investigate the association between COVID-19 stress and life satisfaction. We find that COVID-19 stress is significantly negatively related to life satisfaction, and that this association is strongest among those living alone and those living in households with many other adults. Exploratory analyses suggest that shopping challenges are most strongly associated directly with stress and indirectly with life satisfaction, while income and boredom challenges are less important. We conclude by discussing the implications of declines in life satisfaction due to an ongoing and potentially worsening stressful event, and consider some strategies for mitigating this non-trivial form of COVID-19 harm.

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“…However, subsequent analyses revealed that having a romantic partner, being younger in age (<65 years, among women), as well as having lower social support and higher psychological distress predicted greater decreases in loneliness over time. The potential importance of living with a partner has been observed in other longitudinal samples utilizing preregistered analysis plans (e.g., Okabe-Miyamoto et al, 2021), suggesting that living with a romantic partner during this challenging time may offer unique benefits.…”

Section: Loneliness and Social Connectionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Mental Health During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Recommendations for Moving Forward

Aknin¹,

Je²,

Ew³

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

121

136

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COVID-19 has infected millions of people and upended the lives of most humans on the planet. Researchers from across the psychological sciences have sought to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 in myriad ways, causing an explosion of research that is broad in scope, varied in methods, and challenging to consolidate. Because policy and practice aimed at helping people live healthier and happier lives requires insight from robust patterns of evidence, this paper provides a rapid and thorough summary of high-quality studies published in 2020 addressing two overarching questions. First, what are the mental health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic? Second, what are the neurological sequelae of contracting COVID-19? Our review of the evidence indicates that some facets of mental health suffered greatly during the early months of the pandemic (e.g., anxiety and depression increased), while other facets (life satisfaction) and correlates (social connection, loneliness) notably displayed resilience. In addition, early neurological data indicate several consequences of contracting COVID-19, both during infection and after recovery. In response to these insights, we present seven recommendations (1 urgent, 2 short-term, 4 ongoing) to support mental health and well-being during the pandemic and beyond.

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Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with

Cited by 90 publications

References 38 publications

“This Pandemic Is Making Me More Anxious about My Welfare and the Welfare of Others:” COVID-19 Stressors and Mental Health

“This Pandemic Is Making Me More Anxious about My Welfare and the Welfare of Others:” COVID-19 Stressors and Mental Health

Two’s Company, but Four’s a Crowd: The Relationship Among COVID-19 Stress, Household Size, and Life Satisfaction

Mental Health During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Recommendations for Moving Forward

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