Helping Amid the Pandemic: Daily Affective and Social Implications of COVID-19-Related Prosocial Activities

Sin, Nancy L.; Klaiber, Patrick; Wen, Jyh‐Horng; DeLongis, Anita

doi:10.1093/geront/gnaa140

Cited by 63 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Networks that were developed within social organizations likely eased depression and maintained their subjective memory. This is consistent with findings that older ages were more likely to provide and receive support during COVID-19, which were associated with better mental health [ 38 ]. Social organizations may be the primary sources of this mutual support during COVID-19.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Prior Social Contact and Mental Health Trajectories during COVID-19: Neighborhood Friendship Protects Vulnerable Older Adults

Gan

Best

2021

IJERPH

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Social networking protects mental health during a crisis. Prior contact with social organizations, friends, and non-friend neighbors may be associated with better trajectories of loneliness, depression and subjective memory during COVID-19. Regression analysis was conducted using longitudinal data from a representative sample of n = 3105 US adults aged ≥55 in April–October 2020. Latent profile analysis was also conducted. Prior contact with friends (B = −0.075, p < 0.001), neighbors (B = −0.048, p = 0.007), and social organizations (B = −0.073, p < 0.001) predicted for better mental health during COVID-19. Three profiles were identified: Profile 1 had the best outcomes, with prior contact with social organizations (B = −0.052, p = 0.044) predicting decreasing loneliness. For Profile 2, prior ‘meeting’ contact with friends predicted decreasing loneliness (B = −0.075, p < 0.001) and better subjective memory (B = −0.130, p = 0.011). Conversely, prior contact with neighbors (B = −0.165, p = 0.010) predicted worsening loneliness among Profile 3. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a differential impact on the mental health trajectories of aging adults with social ties of different strengths. Stronger neighborhood networks are important to mitigate poor mental health outcomes among vulnerable older adults during a crisis. Older adults who are living alone and had relied on non-friend neighbors for social connectedness require additional community supports. Policy interventions are required to mitigate the mental health impact of future pandemics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…These weak relationships are insufficient to overcome mental health challenges in the event of a pandemic. They may be “too little, too late.” More robust community development work is required to ensure that these older adults are included in “natural neighborhood networks” for their well-being [ 38 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prior Social Contact and Mental Health Trajectories during COVID-19: Neighborhood Friendship Protects Vulnerable Older Adults

Gan

Best

2021

IJERPH

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“…In 1 study of adults living in Canada and the U.S, older age predicted more support provision and receipt due to COVID-19; however this was primarily related to emotional support rather than tangible support. 22 Our results underscore the resiliency and creativity that many older individuals have demonstrated during this crisis, and suggests they were able to identify ways to maintain connections and continue to receive any necessary assistance.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Perceived Adequacy of Tangible Support during Stay-at-Home Orders in Chicago and New York

O’Conor

Opsasnick

Pack

et al. 2021

J Prim Care Community Health

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Objectives: Physical distancing precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic may challenge the provision of tangible support many middle age and older adults receive in managing their health. We examined the association between unmet tangible support needs and self-management behaviors and mental health status during the stay-at-home orders in Chicago and New York. Methods: We used data from the COVID-19 & Chronic Conditions study collected between May 1st and May 22nd, 2020. A total of 801 middle age and older adults with ≥1 chronic condition in Chicago and New York City completed the telephone interview. Adequacy of tangible social support was measured using a brief, validated scale that determined whether an individual needed assistance managing his or her health, and if yes, whether this need was met. Participants reported their level of difficulty engaging in self-management behaviors using 2 discrete items; they also self-reported medication adherence using the ASK-12 medication adherence scale. Mental health status was measured using the depression and anxiety PROMIS short-form instruments. Results: Participants’ mean age was 63 years; 30% identified as Black, 26% identified as Latino, and 12% identified unmet support needs. Inadequacy of tangible support was associated with greater difficulty managing one’s health and accessing medications due to COVID-19, as well as poorer medication adherence, increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, and poorer overall well-being ( P’s < .05). Conclusions: Perceived unmet support needs during stay-at-home orders were associated with greater difficulty engaging in self-management behaviors and poorer overall well-being. Two brief items quickly identified individuals with unmet support needs.

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“…Harvey and Erdos note that the psychological factors of risk-assisted behavior in an emergency area are altruism, heroism, and prosocial orientation of the individual (Harvey and Erdos, 2003 ). Studies conducted in Spain (Serrano-Montilla et al, 2021 ), Serbia (Dinić and BodroŽa, 2021 ), Canada, and the United States (Sin et al, 2021 ) showed that the health threat of COVID-19 predicted a tendency to express altruistic prosocial actions: anonymous helping behavior (Dinić and BodroŽa, 2021 ), volunteering and providing support (Sin et al, 2021 ), empathic care (Serrano-Montilla et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prosocial Orientation of Russians During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Caring for Others and Yourself

Kislyakov

Shmeleva

2021

Front. Psychol.

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To mitigate the potentially devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital to identify psychosocial and moral resources. The care, preservation, protection, and well-being of social communities are attributes of prosocial behavior that can be such a resource. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of prosocial orientation of Russian youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to identify strategies for prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 447 people. The study was conducted in May 2020 in the form of an online survey of subjects using Google Forms (“Moral Foundations Questionnaire method” and “Portrait Values Questionnaire”). The research made it possible to establish that Russians were dominated by norms of care, fairness, purity; values of benevolence-universalism, security, and self-direction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prosocial orientation of Russians may manifest itself in the following behavioral strategies: proactive prosocial strategy of “caring for others” (true altruism, expressed in forms of volunteering, helping a stranger, and charity despite the risk of contracting a coronavirus infection); egoistic strategy of prosocial behavior “self-care through caring for others” (volunteering based on self-development; helping a stranger to improve your own psychological well-being); conventional prosocial strategy “self-care” (self-isolation and preventive behavior). In the long run, it is necessary to identify personal and environmental resources that allowed people to effectively implement a prosocial self-isolation strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as various forms of volunteerism.

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Helping Amid the Pandemic: Daily Affective and Social Implications of COVID-19-Related Prosocial Activities

Cited by 63 publications

References 31 publications

Prior Social Contact and Mental Health Trajectories during COVID-19: Neighborhood Friendship Protects Vulnerable Older Adults

Prior Social Contact and Mental Health Trajectories during COVID-19: Neighborhood Friendship Protects Vulnerable Older Adults

Perceived Adequacy of Tangible Support during Stay-at-Home Orders in Chicago and New York

Prosocial Orientation of Russians During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Caring for Others and Yourself

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