Living with financial limitations: Psychological effects and social support during the times of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory quarantine, people with high levels of economic limitations (NALE) were more vulnerable to the decrease in business activities. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare an Argentine sample of people with low levels of financial limitations (n=344) with another with NALE (n=109). Social support, some psychological symptoms, and several components related to contagion with COVID-19 were analyzed. The non-probabilistic sample was collected online, and the differences were calculated through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results showed that participants with NALE scored higher concerning symptoms and lower in relation to social support. The two exceptions consisted of psychoticism and the need for support, where no significant differences were found. It is concluded that, applying the multidimensional vision of social exclusion, the fact that no significant differences were found in relation to the need for support could be considered a key for future research and even public interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) Durante la pandemia del COVID-19 y la cuarentena obligatoria, las personas con niveles altos de limitaciones economicas (NALE) tenian mayor grado de vulnerabilidad ante la disminucion de las actividades comerciales. Por eso, el objetivo del presente estudio comprendio un estudio de diferencias de grupos entre una muestra argentina de personas con niveles bajos de limitaciones economicas (n=344) y otra con NALE (n=109). Para ello, se analizaron el apoyo social, determinados sintomas psicologicos y varios componentes relacionados al contagio con el COVID-19. La muestra no probabilistica se recogio por Internet y las diferencias se calcularon a traves del analisis multivariante de la varianza (MANOVA). Los resultados evidenciaron que los participantes con NALE puntuaron mas alto con respecto a los sintomas y mas bajo con relacion al apoyo social. Las dos excepciones consistian en el psicoticismo y la necesidad de apoyo, donde no se encontraron diferencias significativas. Se concluye que, aplicando la vision multidimensional de la exclusion social, el hecho que no se encontraron diferencias significativas con relacion a la necesidad de apoyo podria considerarse una clave para futuras investigaciones e incluso intervenciones publicas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)