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. 2022 Jul 1:308:106-110.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.036. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Social support coping styles and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of sex

Caitlin L McLean  1 , Gage M Chu  2 , Melissa M Karnaze  3 , Cinnamon S Bloss  3 , Ariel J Lang  4
Affiliations

Social support coping styles and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of sex

Caitlin L McLean et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to the onset and exacerbation of mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression; yet stay-at-home-orders affected individuals' ability to make use of social support as a coping skill in managing distress. We aimed to evaluate how social support (emotional and instrumental) and biological sex were associated with stress, anxiety, and depression early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants (n = 7256) had an average age of 50.13 years (SD = 16.75) and 51.6% were male. Using a cross-sequential design, seven cohorts of individuals completed baseline (T1) and one-month follow-up (T2) questionnaires online from March to July of 2020. We used a series of hierarchical regressions to identify types of social support (Brief-COPE, T1) associated with stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10, T1 and T2), anxiety and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-4, T2).

Results: Greater emotional support was associated with less perceived stress, anxiety and depression (all ps < 0.001), whereas greater instrumental support predicted increased distress (all ps < 0.036) on all four outcomes. Moderation analyses revealed that greater emotional social support was associated with lower perceived stress at T1 for both women and men, with a stronger association for women relative to men. For women, greater emotional social support predicted lower anxiety.

Limitations: Self-selection may have introduced bias and participant self-report on brief measures may not have fully captured coping and distress.

Conclusions: Interventions enhancing emotional social support strategies, which appear especially important for women, might help manage enduring stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coping; Gender; Sex; Social support; Stress.

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