Social Networks, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Emerging Adults' Mental Health: Resiliency Through Social Bonding and Cohesion

Explaining the pathways through which social capital buffered mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal analysis

BACKGROUND

Research suggests that individuals' local social networks, norms of reciprocity and sense of belonging (their local social capital, henceforth LSC), can cushion the impact of adverse events on their mental health. However, to date, little research has explored the pathways through which LSC operates to buffer stressors, especially during major crises, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This study draws on three waves of nationally representative UK panel data, conducted over the first year of the pandemic. It examines whether LSC buffered (moderated) trends in depression symptomology, and what social-resources (e.g., social support, sociability) and psychological-resources (e.g., resilience, loneliness) can explain any LSC stress-buffering role. Pooled cross-sectional, path analysis, and fixed effects longitudinal approaches are taken.

RESULTS

Individuals with higher LSC experienced more positive trajectories in mental health (fewer depressive symptoms) over the pandemic. Longitudinal analysis demonstrates two key pathways help explain these more positive trends in mental health. Greater psychological resilience and less loneliness are associated with lower depression, and individuals with higher LSC became increasingly more resilient and less lonely over the pandemic. In addition, higher LSC is associated with greater resilience, and individuals with higher resilience experienced more positive pandemic trends in mental health (a stress-buffering role of resilience).

LIMITATIONS

Results are sensitive to time variant unobserved heterogeneity bias and reverse causality bias.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms explaining how LSC cushions mental health during major crises, broadening our understanding of the stress-buffering pathways of social networks in general.

Impact of perceived neighborhood social cohesion on vaccination intentions in the post-pandemic era

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between perceived neighborhood social cohesion (NSC) and intentions to obtain seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines among US adults post COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of US residents (N = 2189) in May 2023 on their perceived NSC, COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccination intentions, healthcare access, perceived risk of COVID-19 or flu infection, loneliness, and trust in doctors. We used bivariate probit regressions to examine joint associations between perceived NSC and intentions to receive influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, controlling for several participant characteristics (e.g., race).

RESULTS

2164 respondents provided consent to study questions. Trust-related NSC (trust in neighbors) was positively associated with intentions to become vaccinated against both influenza and COVID-19 viruses. Higher relational NSC (perception of a close-knit neighborhood) was positively associated while higher value-based NSC (perception that neighbors share the same values) was negatively associated with intentions to become vaccinated against COVID-19. Healthcare access, perceived risk of infection (COVID-19 or flu), and trust in doctors were positively associated with intentions to become vaccinated against both viruses.

CONCLUSIONS

In a post-pandemic era, higher trust-related and relational, perceived NSC (vaccine-dependent), greater access to healthcare, higher perceived risk of infection, and greater trust in doctors were related to higher influenza and COVID-19 vaccination intentions, while higher value-based NSC was related to lower COVID-19 vaccination intentions among US adults. Thus, specific aspects of NSC, healthcare access barriers, misinformation on infection risk, and medical mistrust may influence an individual's willingness and ultimate decision to become vaccinated.

Internet-Based Social Connections of Black American College Students in Pre-COVID-19 and Peri-COVID-19 Pandemic Periods: Network Analysis

BACKGROUND

A global-scale pandemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, greatly impacted communities of color. Moreover, physical distancing recommendations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected people's sense of social connection, especially among young individuals. More research is needed on the use of social media and communication about depression, with a specific focus on young Black Americans.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to examine whether there are any differences in social-networking characteristics before and during the pandemic periods (ie, pre-COVID-19 pandemic vs peri-COVID-19 pandemic) among the students of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). For the study, the researchers focus on the students who have posted a depression-related tweet or have retweeted such posts on their timeline and also those who have not made such tweets. This is done to understand the collective patterns of both groups.

METHODS

This paper analyzed the social networks on Twitter (currently known as X; X Corp) of HBCU students through comparing pre-COVID-19 and peri-COVID-19 pandemic data. The researchers quantified the structural properties, such as reciprocity, homophily, and communities, to test the differences in internet-based socializing patterns between the depression-related and non-depression related groups for the 2 periods.

RESULTS

During the COVID-19 pandemic period, the group with depression-related tweets saw an increase in internet-based friendships, with the average number of friends rising from 1194 (SD 528.14) to 1371 (SD 824.61; P<.001). Their mutual relationships strengthened (reciprocity: 0.78-0.8; P=.01), and they showed higher assortativity with other depression-related group members (0.6-0.7; P<.001). In a network with only HBCU students, internet-based and physical affiliation memberships aligned closely during the peri-COVID-19 pandemic period, with membership entropy decreasing from 1.0 to 0.5. While users without depression-related tweets engaged more on the internet with other users who shared physical affiliations, those who posted depression-related tweets maintained consistent entropy levels (modularity: 0.75-0.76). Compared with randomized networks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (P<.001), the users also exhibited high homophily with other members who posted depression-related tweets.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study provided insight into the social media activities of HBCU students' social networks and communication about depression on social media. Future social media interventions focused on the mental health of Black college students may focus on providing resources to students who communicate about depression. Efforts aimed at providing relevant resources and information to internet-based communities that share institutional affiliation may enhance access to social support, particularly for those who may not proactively seek assistance. This approach may contribute to increased social support for individuals within these communities, especially those with a limited social capacity.

Impact of social distancing from the COVID-19 pandemic on the immuno-inflammatory response of older adults

BACKGROUND

Older adults, as the population considered at increased risk for severe COVID-19, were the most impacted by social isolation. Thus, this study aimed to assess the salivary immune/inflammatory response of older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cohort of 11 older adults (mean age 66.8 ± 6.1) was followed at three different time points: before (S1) and after 6 (S2) and 20 months (S3) of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Unstimulated saliva samples were obtained to assess the levels of antibodies (secretory IgA, IgG and IgM) by ELISA and cytokines (IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, TSLP, IFN-γ, TNF-α) by multiplex analysis. Significant differences were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn's post-test.

RESULTS

None volunteer presented periodontal disease or caries. All volunteers received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines after S2 and before S3. A tendency to increase salivary levels of SIgA and IgM at S2 and of IgG at S3 were observed compared to the values found at S1 and S2. Significantly decreased levels of IL-2 and IL-5 were found at S2 and S3 (p < 0.001) time points. Lower levels of IFN-γ were found at S2 as compared to the values observed at S1 (p < 0.01). A significant decrease in the IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio was found at S2 (p < 0.01). When assessing the Th1/Th2 ratios, a significant decrease was found in the IFN-γ/TSLP ratio at S2 (p < 0.001) and S3 (p < 0.001) when compared to the values at S1. In addition, a significant increase was observed in the TNF-α/IL-5 ratio at S2 (p < 0.001) and S3 (p < 0.001) in comparison to the values at S1. In a similar way, an increase in the TNF-α/IL-6 ratio (Fig. 5E) was observed at S3 (p < 0.001) when compared to the values at S1.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the impact of COVID-19-induced social isolation on immune/inflammatory responses in the upper airway mucosa, particularly those present in oral cavity, of older adults. It demonstrates that a controlled shift in Th1 and Th2 immune responses, both during infection and post-vaccination, can create favorable conditions to combat viral infections without exacerbating the immune response or worsening the pathology.