Observational Study
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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2022; 12(9): 1194-1203
Published online Sep 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i9.1194
Associations between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown in young and middle-aged Israelis: A cross-sectional study
Yang Xi, Odelia Elkana, Wo-Er Jiao, Di Li, Ze-Zhang Tao
Yang Xi, Wo-Er Jiao, Ze-Zhang Tao, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China
Odelia Elkana, Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Jaffa 61083, Israel
Di Li, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Xi Y, Elkana O and Jiao WE contributed to the work equally. Y Xi, Li D, and Jiao WE contributed to the data analysis and interpretation; Elkana O and Jiao WE involved in data acquisition; Tao ZZ contributed to the study conception and design final approval of the manuscript for submission.
Institutional review board statement: The experimental procedure was approved by the Ethics Committee of The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yafo, Israel (Approval No. 2020085).
Informed consent statement: All participants a signed electronic informed consent, allowing access to the full set of questionnaires.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: All other data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ze-Zhang Tao, PhD, Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238 Jiefang Road, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China. taozezhang696@163.com
Received: March 10, 2022
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
Processing time: 193 Days and 23.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

This study examined the associations between social support and anxiety during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in an Israeli sample.

AIM

To examine the associations between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 in an Israeli sample.

METHODS

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.

RESULTS

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).

CONCLUSION

Social support was inversely correlated with anxiety during COVID-19 in an Israeli sample.

Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Social support; Anxiety; COVID-19; Lockdown; Correlation

Core Tip: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Due to the massive spread and high infectivity of the virus, most countries have adopted various lockdown measures to control the epidemic. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental disorders. To examine the associations between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 in an Israeli sample. A total of 655 individuals took part in the present study. Our results show that in the Israeli sample social support is negatively correlated with anxiety during COVID-19. This underscores the importance of social support for anxiety prevention during COVID-19 locking.