Returning to the nest: Emerging adults living with parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes in the working, study and social lives of emerging adults due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to greater need for external supports. Many who lived independently may have sought that support by returning to live with parents. This study identifies factors associated with returns made between 2019 and 2020. It describes supports needed and obtained, relationships between parents and their resident emerging adults and identifies correlates of poor coping and high psychological distress. Data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used and showed half of the emerging adults who moved did so due to COVID-19 restrictions. Loss of work and increased need for emotional and financial support were key drivers of moves. Nineteen per cent who returned found spending more time with family difficult and over half did not have their support needs fully met, increasing their odds of poor coping at that time (OR = 2.9, 4.3, respectively) and subsequent psychological distress (OR = 6.0). Families were an important source of support but could not necessarily mitigate all challenges; for some emerging adults, returning to live with parents gave rise to additional difficulties which negatively affected mental health.

Social Connections During Physical Isolation: How a Shift to Online Interaction Explains Friendship Satisfaction and Social Well-Being

Measures implemented to combat the spread of COVID-19 have included stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and self-isolation, all of which have limited in-person interactions. Given the key role of technology in maintaining social connections during this period, the current study examined the experiences of young adults who shifted from predominantly offline to online interaction with friends during COVID-19. Specifically, we investigated whether changing from interacting predominantly with friends in-person to interacting predominantly with friends online (conceptualized as a major change in context of interaction) was associated with lower social well-being (i.e., greater loneliness and lower social connectedness), and examined whether perceived changes in friendship satisfaction as a result of the pandemic mediated these effects. Participants (N = 329;68.1% female) were Australian young adults, aged between 17 and 25 years (Mage = 20.05 years, SD = 1.97). Data were collected between April 15th and May 24th, 2020, during the nationwide lockdown in Australia. Results indicated that for young adults who primarily interacted offline with friends prior to COVID-19 (as compared to those who interacted predominantly online or equally online and offline before the pandemic), the shift away from face-to-face interactions was associated with a greater perceived reduction in satisfaction with friendships, which, in turn, was associated with greater loneliness and lower social connectedness. Our results highlight the need to consider how young adults adjust to changes in contexts for engaging with friends and how they maintain meaningful social interactions with others during times of extended physical isolation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cyberpsychology is the property of Masarykova Univerzita, Fakulta Socialnich Studii and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Online Social Connection as a Buffer of Health Anxiety and Isolation During COVID-19.

Abstract COVID-19 has given rise to a myriad of social, psychological, and health-related complications. The specific mental health implications of COVID-19 are still being uncovered, but we know that there are likely to be negative outcomes for many people. This is particularly the case for vulnerable members of the community, such as those with high health anxiety, and under conditions where individuals feel isolated or disconnected from others. The objective of this study was to examine whether the level of socially motivated Internet use acts as a buffer of the relationship between health anxiety, isolation behaviors, and depression. Participants (N = 473; 67.3 percent female; Mage = 23.03, SD = 7.50) from Australia completed self-report measures during the height of the national pandemic restrictions (April-May 2020). A regression analysis revealed positive relationships between health anxiety and isolation behaviors on depression and highlighted a three-way interaction effect. Specifically, health anxiety was significantly negatively associated with depression when participants engaged in fewer isolation behaviors. However, at higher levels of isolation behaviors, the relationship between health anxiety and depression was attenuated for participants with greater levels of online social connection. The findings suggest that online social connection buffered the negative effects of health anxiety under conditions of isolation. These results offer promising avenues to mitigate against vulnerabilities during the pandemic and highlight the need to promote alternate social support mechanisms in the absence of face-to-face connection.