scholarly journals 717 Sleeping Well During a Pandemic: The Role of Various Forms of Social Support in Protecting Against Insomnia

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A280-A280
Author(s):  
Samantha Jankowski ◽  
Sara Cloonan ◽  
Michael Grandner ◽  
William Killgore

Abstract Introduction Social support from friends, family, and significant loved ones is critical to sustaining mental health during crises. During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the populace has had to restrict many aspects of normal social contact. Consequently, social isolation and accompanying feelings of loneliness have spiked. There has also been a contemporaneous increase in the rates of insomnia. Considering this correlation, we investigated the potential role of various types of social/emotional support on the severity of insomnia. We hypothesized that greater social support from family, friends, and significant loved ones would all contribute to lower insomnia during the pandemic. Methods During October 2020, 1020 participants (58.2% female) completed an online survey that included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), a measure of social support, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), a measure of insomnia. The severity of insomnia was predicted using multiple linear regression, with the three sources of support from the MSPSS (family, friend, and significant other) entered stepwise. Results All three sources of support were significantly correlated with lower ISI scores (family, r=-.163, p= p = 1.6x10-7; friend, r=-.125, p=6.5x10-5; significant other, r=-.095, p=.002). However, when all three variables were entered into stepwise regression, only increased familial support was significantly associated with lower insomnia levels (R2 = 0.027, β =-.163, p = 1.6x10-7). In contrast, neither the support of friends nor support from significant others added any additional predictive power once family support was in the model. Conclusion While perceived social support from friends and significant others was correlated with lower insomnia, we found that ISI scores were most significantly associated with perceived family support. In fact, once family support was accounted for, other sources of support did not account for additional variance. Ongoing family support plays a critical role in mental health and wellbeing, which is clearly demonstrated in the quality of sleep. During the social distancing imposed by the pandemic, it is vital that we find creative ways to maintain familial social support. Future work may benefit by examining the association between the use of electronic technologies to sustain social support and sleep outcomes. Support (if any):

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luana Marques ◽  
Hilary M. Weingarden ◽  
Nicole J. LeBlanc ◽  
Jedidiah Siev ◽  
Sabine Wilhelm

OBJECTIVE: Whether social support is associated with severity of body dysmorphic symptoms is unknown. To address this gap in the literature, the present study aims to examine the association between three domains of perceived social support (i.e., family, friends, and significant others) and severity of body dysmorphic disorder symptoms. METHOD: Participants (N = 400) with symptoms consistent with diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder completed measures of symptomatology and social support via the internet. RESULTS: More perceived social support from friends and significant others was associated with less severe body dysmorphic disorder symptoms for males, and more perceived social support from family and friends was associated with less severe body dysmorphic disorder symptoms among females. Additionally, gender moderated the association between perceived social support from significant others and symptom severity, such that perceived social support from a significant other was significantly negatively associated with body dysmorphic symptom severity in males, but not females. CONCLUSION: The present study implicates social support as an important area of future body dysmorphic disorder research.


Author(s):  
Azam Tariq ◽  
Tian Beihai ◽  
Nadeem Abbas ◽  
Sajjad Ali ◽  
Wang Yao ◽  
...  

An emerging body of literature has implied that perceived social support is known as an upstream element of cognitive health. Various dimensions of perceived social support may have divergent influence on physical and cognitive health in later life. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived social support on the relationship between physical disability and symptoms of depression in senior citizens of Pakistan. The data were collected from three metropolitan cities (Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan) in the Punjab province of Pakistan and 100 participants were approached from each city with a total sample size of 300. The results demonstrated that family support, friends’ support, and significant others’ support mediated the association between physical disability and symptoms of depression, with an indirect effect of 0.024, 0.058, and 0.034, respectively. The total direct and indirect effect was 0.493. Physical disability was directly associated with symptoms of depression and greater physical disability predicted a higher level of symptoms of depression. Perceived social support, including family support, friends’ support, and significant others’ support, showed an indirect association with symptoms of depression. Furthermore, family support and friends’ support were more significantly associated with symptoms of depression as compared to significant others’ support. The research discoveries have better implications for health care professionals, hospice care workers, and policy makers. A holistic approach is required to prevent senior citizens from late-life mental disorders.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob Lew ◽  
Ksenia Chistopolskaya ◽  
Yanzheng Liu ◽  
Mansor Abu Talib ◽  
Olga Mitina ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: According to the strain theory of suicide, strains, resulting from conflicting and competing pressures in an individual's life, are hypothesized to precede suicide. But social support is an important factor that can mitigate strains and lessen their input in suicidal behavior. Aims: This study was designed to assess the moderating role of social support in the relation between strain and suicidality. Methods: A sample of 1,051 employees were recruited in Beijing, the capital of China, through an online survey. Moderation analysis was performed using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Social support was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and strains were assessed with the Psychological Strains Scale. Results: Psychological strains are a good predictor of suicidality, and social support, a basic need for each human being, moderates and decreases the effects of psychological strains on suicidality. Limitations: The cross-sectional survey limited the extent to which conclusions about causal relationships can be drawn. Furthermore, the results may not be generalized to the whole of China because of its diversity. Conclusion: Social support has a tendency to mitigate the effects of psychological strains on suicidality.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Sadegh Nabavi ◽  
Faramarz Sohrabi ◽  
Gholamali Afrooz ◽  
Ali Delavar ◽  
Simin Hosseinian ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Negriff ◽  
Julie A. Cederbaum ◽  
Daniel S. Lee

The current study examined social support as a mediator between maltreatment experiences (number of victimizations, maltreatment types) and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The data came from the first two time points of a longitudinal study of the effects of maltreatment on adolescent development. The enrolled sample were 454 male and females ( n = 303 maltreated, n = 151 comparison) between 9 and 13 years ( M age = 10.82); Time 2 (T2) occurred approximately 1 year after baseline. Maltreatment data came from case records; participants reported on perceived social support and depressive symptoms. Results from path models indicated that depressive symptoms mediated the association between maltreatment experiences (i.e., physical abuse, neglect, and number of maltreatment victimizations) and family social support. There was no evidence that social support functioned as a mediator. This is the first study to find support for depressive symptoms as a mechanism linking maltreatment with decreased perceived family support. These findings point to the importance of assessing mental health and social support simultaneously to understand the functioning of youth with maltreatment histories.


SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402091796
Author(s):  
Iva Burešová ◽  
Martin Jelínek ◽  
Jaroslava Dosedlová ◽  
Helena Klimusová

In line with the current psychological approach to health in general, mental health is perceived not only as the absence of psychopathological disorders, but also the presence of well-being. The study contributes to the identification of possible sources affecting mental health in adolescence. This cross-sectional study focuses on the role of personality traits, dispositional optimism, and perceived social support in predicting mental health in adolescence. Mental health was assessed using Mental Health Continuum, personality traits using Big Five Inventory, dispositional optimism using Life Orientation Test—Revised and social support by Close Relationships and Social Support Scale. The research sample consisted of 1,239 respondents aged 12 to 19 years (mean age 15.56 years), 54.3% females and 45.7 % males. Sequential regression analysis revealed that demographic variables and personality characteristics together explained 33.5% of mental health variance, the strongest predictors being extraversion and neuroticism. Including dispositional optimism and perceived social support resulted in a significant increase of the explained variance. All predictors together explained 46.0% of the mental health variance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 692-702
Author(s):  
Karen B Schmaling ◽  
Jessica L Fales ◽  
Sterling McPherson

This study investigated significant others’ behavior associated with fatigue, pain, and mental health outcomes among 68 individuals with chronic fatigue (43% also had fibromyalgia) over 18 months. More negative significant others’ responses were associated with more pain, poorer physical and mental health, and more fatigue-related symptoms over time. More fibromyalgia tender points covaried with more solicitous significant others’ responses over time. Better mental health covaried with more distracting significant others’ responses over time. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical models of the role of perceived significant others’ responses on patient outcomes and recommendations for future research.


2020 ◽  
pp. 88-119
Author(s):  
Fedor I. Ushkov ◽  
Lilia A. Shaigerova ◽  
Aleksandra G. Dolgikh ◽  
Olga V. Almazova

Relevance. In the correctional facilities the staff plays a special role in the life of juvenile offenders serving sentences and isolated from the society. It is not only the rehabilitation process in the juvenile correctional facility but also the success of resocialization after serving the sentence that is determined by their actions and the attitude towards the juvenile convicts. Objective. The aim of the study was to study exactly which indicators of mental health and emotional state of juvenile convicts are associated with perceived and received socio-psychological support from psychologists and caregivers of the juvenile correctional facility in comparison with support from other sources. Methods and participants. The study involved 657 adolescents serving sentences in nine juvenile correctional facilities, aged 14 to 19 years (564 boys and 93 girls).The study used the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), an item specifically developed for identifying the frequency of seeking help from various categories of people present in respondents’ lives; the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - DASS-21); the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS); and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). Results. Differences were identified in the relationship between perceived social support from different sources and the frequency of seeking help for different categories with indicators of mental health and emotional state of young convicts. The study also identified the impact of different support sources on anxiety, stress, and the strength of positive and negative emotions. The study emphasizes the special role of caregivers and psychologists compared to other categories of stuff in predicting the levels of depression. Conclusions. The perceived social support from the staff and the frequency of juvenile convicts asking psychologists and caregivers for help have a significant impact on mental health indicators and the emotional state of juvenile offenders. Peers and friends have the least impact on the mental health and emotional state of incarcerated youth, as opposed to free adolescents. On the contrary, “significant adults” represented by staff of correctional camps (educators and psychologists) make a significant contribution to reducing mental health disorders and improving the emotional state of offenders. Perceived social support from “significant others” helps reduce stress. Asking educators for help can be considered a predictor of lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in juvenile convicts. In turn, the level of positive emotions is mostly determined by seeking help from a psychologist.


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