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Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship between Anxiety and Depression: An Empirical Study with Adult Survivors of Wenchuan Earthquake

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  • Jiuping Xu
  • Ying Wei

Abstract

Background: On May 12th 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale struck China, causing a large number of casualties and significant economic losses. By interviewing 2080 survivors of Wenchuan earthquake, the objective of this study is to estimate the role of different types of social support as possible moderating factors between anxiety and depression. Methods: A stratified random sampling strategy about the cross-sectional study was adopted. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used. A total of 2080 adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake from 19 damaged countries participated in the survey. Correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to evaluate the moderating role of social support on the relationship between anxiety and depression. Results: One year after the Wenchuan earthquake, anxiety and depression were found to be 37.6% and 40.7%, respectively. Demographic characteristics were seen as significant in the cases of depression, except for age (p=0.599), while age and education level were not found to be significant for anxiety. The results showed that social support, especially subjective support could moderate the association between anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Social support should be particularly focused on female survivors, those of the Han ethnic group, and those with a lower level of education and a lower income. Psychological intervention and care for survivors should focus on those most disoriented by the disaster.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiuping Xu & Ying Wei, 2013. "Social Support as a Moderator of the Relationship between Anxiety and Depression: An Empirical Study with Adult Survivors of Wenchuan Earthquake," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(10), pages 1-1, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0079045
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079045
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuhong Zheng & Fang Fan & Xianchen Liu & Lei Mo, 2012. "Life Events, Coping, and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents Exposed to 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, January.
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    1. Xinrui Wu & Qian Liu & Qi Li & Zhengwen Tian & Hongzhuan Tan, 2019. "Health-Related Quality of Life and Its Determinants among Criminal Police Officers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Su-Hsin Lee & Hsiao-Ting Kao & Pei-Chen Kung, 2022. "Staying at Work? The Impact of Social Support on the Perception of the COVID-19 Epidemic and the Mediated Moderating Effect of Career Resilience in Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Becky Leshem & Gabriela Kashy-Rosenbaum & Miriam Schiff & Rami Benbenishty & Ruth Pat-Horenczyk, 2023. "Continuous Exposure to Terrorism during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model in the Israeli Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Arpana Pandit & Yoshinori Nakagawa, 2021. "How Does Reciprocal Exchange of Social Support Alleviate Individuals’ Depression in an Earthquake-Damaged Community?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    5. O'Donohue, Katelyn & Berger, Emily & McLean, Louise & Carroll, Matthew, 2021. "Psychological outcomes for young adults after disastrous events: A mixed-methods scoping review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    6. Jonghun Kam & Jihun Park & Wanyun Shao & Junho Song & Jinhee Kim & Fabrizio Terenzio Gizzi & Donatella Porrini & Young-Joo Suh, 2021. "Data-driven modeling reveals the Western dominance of global public interest in earthquakes," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.

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