Explaining the pathways through which social capital buffered mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic : A longitudinal analysis

Background
Research suggests that individuals' local social networks, norms of reciprocity and sense of belonging (their local social capital, henceforth LSC), can cushion the impact of adverse events on their mental health. However, to date, little research has explored the pathways through which LSC operates to buffer stressors, especially during major crises, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
This study draws on three waves of nationally representative UK panel data, conducted over the first year of the pandemic. It examines whether LSC buffered (moderated) trends in depression symptomology, and what social-resources (e.g., social support, sociability) and psychological-resources (e.g., resilience, loneliness) can explain any LSC stress-buffering role. Pooled cross-sectional, path analysis, and fixed effects longitudinal approaches are taken.
Results
Individuals with higher LSC experienced more positive trajectories in mental health (fewer depressive symptoms) over the pandemic. Longitudinal analysis demonstrates two key pathways help explain these more positive trends in mental health. Greater psychological resilience and less loneliness are associated with lower depression, and individuals with higher LSC became increasingly more resilient and less lonely over the pandemic. In addition, higher LSC is associated with greater resilience, and individuals with higher resilience experienced more positive pandemic trends in mental health (a stress-buffering role of resilience).
Limitations
Results are sensitive to time variant unobserved heterogeneity bias and reverse causality bias.
Conclusions
These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms explaining how LSC cushions mental health during major crises, broadening our understanding of the stress-buffering pathways of social networks in general.

Highlights

• More social capital linked with more positive trends in mental health over pandemic.
• Two key pathways help explain this stress-buffering role of social capital.
• People with more social capital became comparatively less lonely and more resilient.
• Less loneliness and more psychological resilience linked with better mental health.
• More resilient people also saw more positive trends in mental health over the pandemic.