Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bierman, Alex; Upenieks, Laura; Schieman, Scott

doi:10.1177/23294965211011591

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This period of transition for many Americans reflected social, economic, and health-related changes with the potential for substantial impacts on long-term health and well-being ( Holmes et al, 2020 ). Specifically, physical distancing recommendations have changed social relationships ( Bierman et al, 2021 ) and increased unemployment ( U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021 ), while concerns about COVID-19 and disruptions to non-emergent care have reduced access to medical care ( Czeisler et al, 2020 ), all of which are considered determinants of health and well-being. The negative effects of disruptive events on well-being, mental, and physical health have been reflected in prior research on disease outbreaks, quarantine, and natural disasters ( Brooks et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Social, Economic, and Health Risk Factors Across the Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Transition Analysis

Jackson

Weaver

Weybright

et al. 2022

Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion

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The COVID-19 pandemic led to unique, pervasive, and changing global impacts. It is imperative to characterize groups of individuals based on modifiable factors, and to describe how groups have been impacted by the continuing pandemic in the United States to promote health and well-being and to inform preventive interventions. We used latent transition analysis to identify subgroups of modifiable psychosocial, economic, and health risk factors; to explore subgroup shifts across time; and to assess the prevalence of non-modifiable factors associated with subgroup membership. We recruited 450 participants 18 years and older living in the United States to complete a longitudinal survey exploring health during the pandemic. Participants completed three waves of data collection from April to November 2020. We used latent transition analysis to identify statuses, shifts in prevalence over three waves, and the relationships of non-modifiable covariates with each status. Five statuses were identified: high risk together, low risk together, high risk alone, low risk alone, and financial risk together. Statuses were relatively stable over time; the majority (60%–66%) of participants were in statuses categorized by multiple indicators of high modifiable risk, and the largest transitions were to lower risk subgroups. Increasing age, being male, and living in an urban area were the only non-modifiable covariates associated with status membership. It is imperative to continue to scale up targeted interventions aimed at promoting resilience, well-being, financial well-being, delays in healthcare use, food insecurity, and depression among individuals in higher-risk subgroups to promote health and well-being.

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Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Social, Economic, and Health Risk Factors Across the Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Transition Analysis

Jackson

Weaver

Weybright

et al. 2022

Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reconfigured a number of taken-for-granted aspects of the social world—from how people work, to how they socialize, to how they mourn. Coinciding with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing protocols, many people experienced notable reductions in the size of their support networks, and as a corollary, greater feelings of isolation and loneliness in the early months of the pandemic (Bierman and Schieman 2020; Bierman, Upenieks, and Schieman 2021). In light of the importance of contextual factors for shaping the association between social support and well-being (Umberson et al 2006), we argue the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to examine whether and how different coping resources shield a person’s mental health against the loss of a close tie to the virus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Coping Resources and the Toll of COVID-19 Bereavement

Grace

VanHeuvelen

2022

Society and Mental Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a bereavement crisis unparalleled in a generation, with devastating consequences for the mental health of those who lost a loved one to the virus. Using national survey data ( n = 2,000) containing detailed information about people’s experiences of pandemic-related stressors, coping resources, and mental health, in this study we examine whether and how three psychosocial coping resources—mastery, self-esteem, and social support—moderate the association between COVID-19 bereavement and psychological distress. We find that coping resources have both expected and unanticipated effects on the relationship between bereavement and mental health. Consistent with the stress process model, higher levels of mastery uniformly reduce the damaging effects of bereavement on depressive symptoms and anger, whereas self-esteem mitigates the positive association between losing a close tie to the virus and reports of anger. Contrary to the stress-buffering hypothesis, however, higher levels of perceived support exacerbate the positive associations between bereavement and each indicator of psychological distress. Our findings suggest that the putatively advantageous aspects of social support may be compromised, or even reversed, in the context of constrained social engagement. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for sociological research on the stress process.

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“…Although social organizations that incorporate some formal or informal relationships can gain access to key social resources (e.g., information and expertise), these social networks are not built spontaneously but constructed through investment strategies oriented toward the institutionalization of group relationships [ 21 ]. Therefore, continuous social connection is often needed to obtain social support, while social distancing during the COVID-19 epidemic can damage social connections [ 22 ]. However, interpersonal networks within the context of Chinese relational culture have four major characteristics: strong kinship, functional reusability, strong obligation to reward, and a super-stable relationship circle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have focused on the impact of epidemic-preventative social distancing on social connections [ 22 ] or the effects on individual physical and mental health [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Advocating for public health policies during the epidemic, such as staying home and social distancing, needs to weigh personal and public interests, which may be affected by individual internal norms and external social influences [ 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Social Capital on Youths’ Anti-Epidemic Action in the Field of Epidemic-Preventative Social Distancing in China

Guo

Zeng

Hai-na

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Social distancing restrictions for COVID-19 epidemic prevention have substantially changed the field of youths’ social activities. Many studies have focused on the impact of epidemic-preventative social distancing on individual physical and mental health. However, in the field of social distancing for epidemic prevention, what are the changes in youth anti-epidemic action and states caused by their interpersonal resources and interactions? Responding to this question by studying the impact of the elements of social capital in youths’ anti-epidemic actions and anti-epidemic states could help identify an effective mechanism for balancing social distancing for effective epidemic prevention and sustainable social-participation development among youth. Bourdieu’s field theory holds that the elements of social capital change with a change in the field. Therefore, we introduced the specific elements of social capital as independent variables and used a multinomal logistic model to analyze and predict the levels of youth anti-epidemic action through an empirical investigation of 1043 young people in Guangdong Province, China. The results show that, first, level of social distancing for epidemic prevention shows differences by occupation status and income level and correlates with social support. Second, social support and social norms play positive roles in promoting youth participation in anti-epidemic activities when social distance is certain. Third, social capital has a significant positive effect on youth social satisfaction and core relationships; however, social trust has a significant negative effect on youth physical and mental health. This study emphasized that social distancing for epidemic prevention is a special social situational state, which is a field where social capital has an impact on the differential changes in the public-participating actions and habitus of youth.

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Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 25 publications

References 53 publications

Changes in Social, Economic, and Health Risk Factors Across the Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Transition Analysis

Changes in Social, Economic, and Health Risk Factors Across the Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Transition Analysis

Psychosocial Coping Resources and the Toll of COVID-19 Bereavement

The Influence of Social Capital on Youths’ Anti-Epidemic Action in the Field of Epidemic-Preventative Social Distancing in China

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