Support gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic: Sex differences and effects on well-being

During times of stress, supportive communication can buffer individuals from experiencing negative outcomes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially altered the interactions people rely on for support, which may influence the supportive messages they desire and receive. When people receive quantities of support that differ from what they desire, they experience support gaps, which are often associated with negative outcomes. The present study examines: (a) support gaps in close relationships under shelter-in-place orders issued in response to the pandemic; (b) how support gaps may be moderated by recipient and provider sex; and (c) relationships between support gaps and loneliness, stress, and relational satisfaction. Data were collected in Spring 2020 from community members across the United States and students at a large Midwestern university ( N = 273). Participants reported on five types of support desired and received from their closest relational partner. Unexpectedly, participants generally reported receiving more support than desired, though this finding was qualified by their biological sex and the biological sex of their partner. As expected, support deficits were primarily associated with negative outcomes. Surplus esteem support was positively associated with relational satisfaction and negatively associated with perceived stress. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical implications for support gaps research and theory as well as pragmatic implications for individuals experiencing a global, shared stressor.

The Effects of Type of Pronouns and Hope Appeals in Supportive Messages About COVID-19

This study examined the role of pronouns in supportive messages and hope appeals in facilitating people's coping with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Participants included 256 residents of New York State, and they evaluated hypothetical messages about COVID-19. Results showed that when people have a communal orientation to coping, you-language (vs. we-language) supportive messages led to more emotional improvement. The presence (vs. absence) of hope appeals in supportive messages increased communal coping. We discuss the implications of results in promoting emotion- and action-focused coping.

Do Social Media Matter?

Political experiences on social media—such as being targeted by electoral mobilization, seeing politically supportive messages, and accidentally encountering news—contribute to citizens’ repertoires of political participation. These associations are, on average, stronger for electoral mobilization than for accidental exposure, while exposure to supportive political content lies in between. Political experiences on social media do not disproportionally encourage participation in relatively easier, less resource-intensive activities, nor in activities primarily occurring in digital spaces, but foster hybrid participatory repertoires that combine higher-threshold and lower-threshold endeavors occurring both online and face to face. When placed amid the many different factors that affect participation, political experiences on social media play a distinctive and important role. However, their impact may be weaker than that of long-standing differences in resources and motivations among different groups of citizens.

When Karen Slides into Your DMs

This chapter uses my experiences as both a Dubsmasher and a teacher to unpack the role that language plays in identity formation. Specifically, it analyzes outsiders’ perceptions of Renegades in tandem with the linguistic and theatrical ways that Renegades push against the dominant narrative. The argument is that the relationship between language, race, and power influences how Dubsmashers such as my students construct their identities through music as well as how others criticize those same identity formations. I again use my classroom as a case study, here focusing on what I refer to as “a tale of four messages,” or a one-hour period in January 2020 in which I posted a Dub of my students and me dancing to “COOKIE SHOP” by ZaeHD & CEO and then immediately received four messages—one hypercritical message from a White follower and three supportive messages from Black followers. This case study offers a point of departure to unpack the ways that White outsiders attempt to police language and, by extension, the cultures of my students and other Renegades.

Group Communication Support in Supporting the Resilience of Families and Survivors of Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic originating from Wuhan has caused a lot of problems in people’s life aside from the economic costs. The Covid-19 has also taken its toll in almost every country in the world. Millions have died. Families need communication supports to face Covid-19. Group communication support has a very important role in sustaining the Covid-19 survivors and their families. To understand how it can sustain the Covid-19 survivors and their families, the researcher used the case-study approach and collected data through in-depth interviews with three respondents and analyzed them. This study aims to find out how the role of group communication support for survivors in supporting their resilience against Covid-19. The result shows that group communication supports link with five skills in designing supportive messages, i.e.: clarifying supportive intentions, buffering face threats, using other-centered messages, framing messages, and giving advice. These five skills provide a positive influence to the survivors and their families. The support messages have helped them go through difficult times caused by Covid-19. The research also found other sustaining aspects: the ability of the three respondents to see the calamities positively according to their religions and their strong personalities. Their personalities have enabled them to show positive attitudes to their children. In turn, their children also have the same resolute, strong, and resilient attitude in facing their calamities. Pandemi Covid-19 yang berasal dari Wuhan, telah menimbulkan banyak masalah bagi kehidupan manusia, tidak hanya kerugian secara ekonomi saja. Covid-19 juga telah merenggut banyak nyawa manusia hampir di semua belahan dunia. Jutaan nyawa melayang dan jutaan keluarga membutuhkan adanya dukungan komunikasi sebagai akibat serangan Covid-19 ini. Dukungan komunikasi kelompok memiliki peranan yang sangat penting guna menunjang ketahanan dari keluarga dan juga penyintas Covid-19 ini. Untuk mengetahui bagaimana dukungan komunikasi kelompok bisa menunjang ketahanan keluarga dan penyintas Covid-19, maka dilakukan penelitian dengan pendekatan studi kasus, yakni mengumpulkan data melalui wawancara mendalam kepada tiga informan dan selanjutnya menganalisisnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan bagaimana peranan dukungan komunikasi kelompok terhadap penyintas dalam menunjang ketahanan mereka menghadapi Covid-19. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa, dukungan komunikasi dari kelompok terkait dengan lima kemampuan mengemas pesan yang mendukung (support message), antara lain; clarify supportive intentions, buffering face threats, other centered message, framing, giving advice. Kelima keterampilan ini memberi pengaruh yang positif, kepada keluarga dan korban Covid-19. Adanya support message ini, membuat keluarga dan penyintas Covid-19 mampu melewati masa sulit sebagai akibat dari Covid-19 ini. Penelitian ini juga menemukan, bahwa terdapat aspek lainnya yakni, kemampuan yang dimiliki ketiga informan untuk melihat musibah yang mereka alami secara positif sesuai dengan ajaran agama yang mereka yakini, dan juga kekuatan kepribadian mereka yang tangguh. Kepribadian yang kuat, yang mereka miliki membuat mereka berhasil menunjukkan sikap positif kepada anak-anak mereka. Sebagai akibatnya, anak-anak merekapun memiliki sikap yang sama yakni tegar, kuat, tabah menjalani musibah yang mereka alami.

Supportive Text Messaging versus Supportive E-mail Messaging for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Randomized Hybrid Type II Effectiveness-Implementation Trial Protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) accounts for 40·5% of disability-adjusted life years caused by mental and substance use disorders. Barriers such as stigma, financial and physical access to care have been reported, highlighting need for innovative, accessible and cost-effective psychological interventions. The effectiveness of supportive text messaging in alleviating depression symptoms has been proven in clinical trials, but this approach can only those with active cell phones. Consequently, this study seeks to evaluate the feasibility, comparative effectiveness, and user satisfaction of daily supportive daily e-mail messaging as an effective strategy compared to daily supportive text messaging, as part of treatment of patients with MDD. OBJECTIVE The Supportive Text versus Email Messaging (STEM) trial aims to evaluate comparatively the implementation and impact of two implementation strategies (text messaging and email messaging) for delivering supportive messages to patients with MDD. METHODS This trial will be carried out using a type II implementation-effectiveness hybrid trial. This design evaluates the effectiveness of an implementation strategy or intervention, while also evaluating the implementation context associated with the intervention. In this innovative pilot trial, patients with MDD receiving usual care will be randomized to receive either daily supportive email messaging or daily supportive text messaging of the same content for six months. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 scale and the WHO (Five) Well-Being Index will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of both strategies. Implementation evaluation will be guided by the Reach-Effectiveness-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance (RE_AIM) framework, as well as the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). All outcome measures will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Data collection for this trial began in April 2021. We expect the study results to be available within 18 months of study commencement. The study results will shed light on the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of using automated emails as a strategy for delivering supportive messages to patients with MDD, in comparison to text messaging. CONCLUSIONS The outcome of this trial will have translational impact on routine patient care, access to mental health as well as potentially support mental health policy decision making for healthcare resource allocation. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04638231

The Effects of Person-Centered Social Support Messages on Recipient Distress Over Time within a Conversation

Although prior research documents the benefits of supportive messages containing higher levels of verbal person centeredness (VPC), the effects of this message property over time within a discussion are not well understood. This project evaluated predictions about the effects of high and low VPC messages over time drawn from the theory of conversationally induced reappraisals and the dual-process model of supportive communication outcomes. Participants (N = 281) completed an interaction with a computerized support provider in which the level of VPC was manipulated. Before and after the interaction and after receiving each of four supportive messages, participants rated their emotional distress, reappraisal, and validation. Participants in the high and low VPC conditions exhibited a significant reduction in emotional distress from before to after their interaction. Receiving subsequent messages with high levels of VPC produced a non-linear trend in distress reduction, whereas receiving subsequent low VPC messages fostered little change.

The plight of racialised minorities during a pandemic: migrants and refugees in Italy and Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw on data from interviews with six Italian migrant service providers and media stories in Italy and Australia to weave a comparative snapshot of the plight of precarious migrant and refugee communities in these two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws attention to prejudicial shortcomings towards vulnerable migrant communities enacted by the states of Italy and Australia in response to COVID-19.FindingsWhile the unequal ecology of the pandemic has flared up the need for the State to strengthen participation and inclusion policies, it has also provided opportunities to foreground the disadvantages vulnerable communities face that also demand policy attention and sustained funding. Governments in migrant-receiving countries like Australia and Italy need to articulate culturally sensitive and inclusive responses that foreground agencies give vulnerable migrants, asylum seekers and refugees clear, supportive messages of solidarity leading to practical solutions.Originality/valueThis paper relays preliminary data from the coalface (migrant service providers) and media as the pandemic evolved in the two countries, whose support mechanisms had never before been critically compared and evaluated through the lens of racial inequality in the face of a health and social crisis.

Patient-Physician Communication in Depression

Optimizing clinical communication between patients and health professionals is a major demand, particularly in mental health; the use of digital media is creating new opportunities in this field. Messaging services can be particularly useful to enhance communication with patients with depression, between consultations, allowing the delivery of supportive messages or reminders. This paper discusses this scenario and describes a four-stage study: (1) a diagnosis of perspectives and practices, (2) a six-week SMS intervention plan, (3) a prototype of a digital application to support patients' follow-up and interaction, (4) and a survey on physicians' digital experience and predisposition to use the prototype. Results underline the potential of using messaging systems to improve communication between health professionals and patients with depression, namely when these systems are part of blended-interventions. Further research is needed, particularly regarding the adjustment of these solutions to specific target groups.