Subject(s)
Skin Diseases , Skin Neoplasms , Humans , Climate Change , Skin , Skin Diseases/epidemiology , Skin Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to significant stressors and shifts in social life, yet social interactions experienced by people with trauma exposure during the COVID pandemic is largely unknown. This study assessed frequency of interactions, social support given and received, and prosocial behavior using online survey methods (N=1049). We examined differences in experiences across three groups: no trauma exposure, trauma-exposed with low PTSD symptoms, and trauma-exposed with high PTSD symptoms. We also explored correlations between social interactions and PTSD symptom clusters. Results indicated significant differences across groups and the high PTSD group reported stronger associations between social interaction variables and symptom clusters, on average.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Social distancing and sheltering-in-place mitigate the physical health risks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); however, there are concerns about the impact on mental health and social engagement. METHODS: We used data from a U.S.-based online survey (March 2020) to examine patterns of social support and prosocial behavior, explore differences between people with and without depression or anxiety, and explore correlates of social engagement in both groups, including symptom severity in the clinical group. RESULTS: The clinical group reported greater social engagement. In both groups, social engagement was positively associated with COVID-19-related worry and trait moral elevation; mindfulness was positively associated with all outcomes for the clinical group only. Social interaction frequency had little influence on outcomes. Depressive symptom severity was positively associated with all outcomes, whereas anxiety was negatively associated with prosocial behavior. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight how social engagement was experienced early in the U.S. COVID-19 crisis.