Humphrey, Ashley ORCID: 0000-0002-8464-4588, March, Evita, Lavender, Andrew P ORCID: 0000-0001-6222-880X, Miller, Kyle J ORCID: 0000-0003-0326-1516, Alvarenga, Marlies ORCID: 0000-0002-2738-8055 and Mesagno, Christopher ORCID: 0000-0001-9417-4359 (2022) Buffering the fear of COVID-19: social connectedness mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing. Behavioral Sciences, 12 (3). ISSN 2076-328X

Abstract

Social connections are crucial for an individual’s health, wellbeing, and overall effective functioning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, one major preventative effort for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involved restricting people’s typical social interactions through physical distancing and isolation. The current cross-sectional study, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, explored the relationship among fear of COVID-19, social connectedness, resilience, depressive symptomologies, and self-perceived stress. Participants (N = 174) completed an anonymous, online questionnaire, and results indicated that social connectedness mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing. In contrast, the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological wellbeing was not mediated by resilience. These findings highlight the important role that social connections and resilience play in buffering against negative psychological wellbeing outcomes, especially during a pandemic.

Search Google Scholar

Repository staff login