Double jeopardy: How lower levels of support during COVID-19 exacerbated the relationship between loneliness and distress.

ABSTRACT: While the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress is well documented, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are less clear. One factor known to be related to loneliness as well as psychological distress, is social support, with some studies suggesting that support-both received and provided-can serve as a mechanism to reduce the distress associated with loneliness. In this paper we examine the mediating role of both aspects of support in the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress in the COVID-19 context. We used a multi-country dataset collected at two timepoints during the pandemic; the first during the early stages (N = 6,842, 11 countries) and the second collected for a subset of countries (N = 1,299, 3 countries) 3 months later

SUBMITTER: Bentley SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9459340 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature