Measuring the Effects of Social Isolation and Dissatisfaction on Depressive Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Sleep and Physical Activity

Social distancing was universally implemented to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Long-term social distancing can lead to increased feelings of social isolation or dissatisfaction with one’s daily interpersonal interactions, which can subsequently result in reduced psychological health (e.g....

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ivan Vargas, Erin Kaye Howie, Alexandria Muench, Michael L. Perlis
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: MDPI AG 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/4cb3ded11a7942baa18d1f7840497449
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Social distancing was universally implemented to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Long-term social distancing can lead to increased feelings of social isolation or dissatisfaction with one’s daily interpersonal interactions, which can subsequently result in reduced psychological health (e.g., greater depression). The present study quantified this association, and the extent to which it was moderated by measures of sleep and physical activity, by surveying 3658 adults (mean age = 46.0 years) from across the United States. Participants answered questions related to their social experiences, sleep, physical activity, and depressive symptoms during the early stages of the pandemic (March–June 2020). Results showed that social isolation and social dissatisfaction were associated with greater depressive symptoms. As predicted, self-reported sleep quality and physical activity moderated these associations, such that lower sleep quality and physical activity exacerbated their effect on depressive symptoms.