Population Health Research Brief Series

Social support can protect mental health from the stressors of life during times of widespread crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Using nationally representative data on U.S. working-age adults (18-64), this brief shows that those who reported having emotional support from family and friends were less likely to report negative mental health effects from the COVID-19 pandemic (32.9%) compared to those without emotional support (50.2%). Adults with higher levels of instrumental support – being able to count on someone for a $200 loan or for a place to live - were also less likely than those without those types of support to report negative mental health impacts during the pandemic. Public health approaches that focus on strengthening existing social networks within local communities may be especially helpful during population-level crises.