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Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with

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  • Karynna Okabe-Miyamoto
  • Dunigan Folk
  • Sonja Lyubomirsky
  • Elizabeth W Dunn

Abstract

To slow the transmission of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented social distancing and stay-at-home policies—potentially leading people to rely more on household members for their sense of closeness and belonging. To understand the conditions under which people felt the most connected, we examined whether changes in overall feelings of social connection varied by household size and composition. In two pre-registered studies, undergraduates in Canada (NStudy 1 = 548) and adults primarily from the U.S. and U.K. (NStudy 2 = 336) reported their perceived social connection once before and once during the pandemic. In both studies, living with a partner robustly and uniquely buffered shifts in social connection during the first phases of the pandemic (βStudy 1 = .22, βStudy 2 = .16). In contrast, neither household size nor other aspects of household composition predicted changes in connection. We discuss implications for future social distancing policies that aim to balance physical health with psychological health.

Suggested Citation

  • Karynna Okabe-Miyamoto & Dunigan Folk & Sonja Lyubomirsky & Elizabeth W Dunn, 2021. "Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(1), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0245009
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245009
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    2. Niloufar Benam & William C. Miller & Gordon Tao & W. Ben Mortenson & Julia Schmidt, 2022. "Anxiety and Social Support Are Associated with Loneliness among Adults with Disabilities and Older Adults with No Self-Reported Disabilities 10 Months Post COVID-19 Restrictions," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Haywantee Ramkissoon, 2021. "Social Bonding and Public Trust/Distrust in COVID-19 Vaccines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-6, September.
    4. Roxane Dumont & Viviane Richard & Hélène Baysson & Elsa Lorthe & Giovanni Piumatti & Stephanie Schrempft & Ania Wisniak & Rémy P Barbe & Klara M Posfay-Barbe & Idris Guessous & Silvia Stringhini & on , 2022. "Determinants of adolescents’ Health-Related Quality of Life and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(8), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Mohammed Habes & Mokhtar Elareshi & Ahmed Mansoori & Saadia Pasha & Said A. Salloum & Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi, 2023. "Factors Indicating Media Dependency and Online Misinformation Sharing in Jordan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    6. Tina L. Rochelle & L. M. Chan, 2024. "The impact of social media use on the relationship between social isolation and connectedness during COVID-19 in Hong Kong," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 353-366, August.
    7. Lisa Schmid & Pablo Christmann & Anne-Sophie Oehrlein & Annika Stein & Carolin Thönnissen, 2024. "Life Satisfaction during the Second Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: The Effects of Local Restrictions and Respondents’ Perceptions about the Pandemic," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 445-467, April.

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