Individual differences in the long-term impact of the pandemic: moderators of COVID-related hardship, worry, and social support

Schwartz, Carolyn E.; Borowiec, Katrina; Li, Yuelin; Rapkin, Bruce D.

doi:10.1007/s11136-023-03573-0

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Many factors may play a role in this rising prevalence, including grief over the loss of loved ones (Eisma et al, 2021 ), social isolation (Pietrabissa and Simpson, 2020 ), and long-term symptoms of COVID-19 (Penninx, 2021 ), among others. In earlier research done by our group and on which the present study builds, we found that employment status was an important predictor of depression (Schwartz et al, 2023a , b ). Specifically, people who were disabled from work due to a medical condition were more likely to be depressed throughout the pandemic than other employment groups (Schwartz et al, 2023a , b ).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…In earlier research done by our group and on which the present study builds, we found that employment status was an important predictor of depression (Schwartz et al, 2023a , b ). Specifically, people who were disabled from work due to a medical condition were more likely to be depressed throughout the pandemic than other employment groups (Schwartz et al, 2023a , b ). Even after adjusting the longitudinal models for COVID-19-specific stressors (e.g., hardship, worry, and low social support) and cognitive appraisal processes, the association between being disabled and being depressed remained highly significant (Schwartz et al, 2023b ).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Specifically, people who were disabled from work due to a medical condition were more likely to be depressed throughout the pandemic than other employment groups (Schwartz et al, 2023a , b ). Even after adjusting the longitudinal models for COVID-19-specific stressors (e.g., hardship, worry, and low social support) and cognitive appraisal processes, the association between being disabled and being depressed remained highly significant (Schwartz et al, 2023b ). This lack of mediation suggests that other unmeasured factors are contributing to their reported depression.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Reserve-building as a buffer for depression among individuals living with disability: a longitudinal study of current activities related to brain health

Schwartz,

Borowiec,

Rapkin

2024

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimsThis study examined whether reserve-building activities are associated with attenuated reported depression among people who were disabled from work due to a medical condition as compared to employed, retired, and unemployed participants.MethodsThis secondary analysis included 771 individuals who provided data at three time points: baseline (late Spring 2020), follow-up 1 (Spring 2021), and follow-up 2 (Fall 2021). The DeltaQuest Reserve-Building Measure assessed current activities related to brain health. An analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients assessed group differences in reserve-building activity scores. Classification and regression tree (CART) modeling investigated factors associated with higher and lower reported depression by employment group. The random effects (RE) models tested two buffering hypotheses: (1) comparing all groups to the employed group and (2) examining within-group effects.ResultsEngaging in outdoor activities, exercise, and religious/spiritual activities was associated with reduced depression over time in the overall sample. While disabled participants endorsed lower levels of being Active in the World, Outdoor activities, and Exercise and higher levels of Inner Life and Passive Media Consumption than the other employment groups, more reserve-building activities distinguished depression levels in the disabled group's CART models compared to the others. Among the disabled, unemployed, and retired participants, engaging in any reserve-building activities was also associated with lower depression scores, which was distinct from the employed participants. In the RE models that used the employed group as the reference category, only the disabled group's level of depression was buffered by engaging in creative activities. In the within-group RE models, the disabled group's engagement in Religious/Spiritual, Outdoors, and Games was associated with substantially reduced within-group depression, which was different from the other employment groups. In contrast, reserve-building activities were not implicated at all as buffers for employed participants.ConclusionThis study revealed a beneficial effect of reserve-building activities on buffering depression over time during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for disabled people. It documented that even if such individuals engaged in lesser amounts of such activities as compared to other employment groups, the buffering effect was substantial. Given the low-cost and accessible nature of reserve-building activities, it would be worthwhile to encourage such activities for disabled individuals.

show abstract