Published online Sep 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i9.1194
Peer-review started: March 10, 2022
First decision: April 18, 2022
Revised: April 27, 2022
Accepted: August 16, 2022
Article in press: August 16, 2022
Published online: September 19, 2022
Due to the massive spread and high infectivity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), most countries have adopted various lockdown measures to control the epidemic. Changes in social distance and daily life activities during the blockade can affect personal well-being, mental health, and increase the risk of mental illness. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental disorders.
It is not clear whether social support is equally protective of anxiety disorders in the context of the unique features of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Israel in particular during lockdown. This study used data from an interim study on the lockdown enforced during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel to clarify the potential associations between social support and anxiety disorders.
The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between social support and anxiety in Israelis during the first COVID-19 epidemic.
Data for this cross-sectional study were retrieved from an online survey. Linear regression, logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were conducted to test for associations between social support and anxiety.
A total of 655 individuals took part in the present study. In the univariate linear regression model, there is a negative correlation between the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score (GAD-7) and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS) score. For MSPSS score, the multivariable adjusted regression coefficient and 95% confidence interval (CI) of GAD-7 score were -0.779 (-1.063 to -0.496). In the univariate logistic regression model, there was a negative correlation between anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 9) and MSPSS score, and there was still a negative correlation in multivariate logical regression analysis. The odds ratios and 95%CI were 0.709 (0.563-0.894).
Social support was inversely correlated with anxiety during COVID-19 in an Israeli sample.
Our findings suggest that social support was inversely associated with anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Thus providing social support may reduce the prevalence of anxiety in the population.