COVID-19 has given rise to a myriad of social, psychological, and health-related complications. The specific mental health implications of COVID-19 are still being uncovered, but we know that there are likely to be negative outcomes for many people. This is particularly the case for vulnerable members of the community, such as those with high health anxiety, and under conditions where individuals feel isolated or disconnected from others. The objective of this study was to examine whether the level of socially motivated Internet use acts as a buffer of the relationship between health anxiety, isolation behaviors, and depression. Participants (N = 473; 67.3 percent female; M_age = 23.03, SD = 7.50) from Australia completed self-report measures during the height of the national pandemic restrictions (April–May 2020). A regression analysis revealed positive relationships between health anxiety and isolation behaviors on depression and highlighted a three-way interaction effect. Specifically, health anxiety was significantly negatively associated with depression when participants engaged in fewer isolation behaviors. However, at higher levels of isolation behaviors, the relationship between health anxiety and depression was attenuated for participants with greater levels of online social connection. The findings suggest that online social connection buffered the negative effects of health anxiety under conditions of isolation. These results offer promising avenues to mitigate against vulnerabilities during the pandemic and highlight the need to promote alternate social support mechanisms in the absence of face-to-face connection.

中文翻译：

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在线社交联系作为 COVID-19 期间健康焦虑和孤立的缓冲

COVID-19 引起了无数与社会、心理和健康相关的并发症。COVID-19 对心理健康的具体影响仍有待发现，但我们知道可能会对许多人产生负面影响。对于社区中的弱势成员（例如具有高度健康焦虑的人）以及在个人感到孤立或与他人脱节的情况下，情况尤其如此。本研究的目的是检查社交动机的互联网使用水平是否可以作为健康焦虑、孤立行为和抑郁之间关系的缓冲。参与者（N  = 473；67.3% 女性；M_年龄 = 23.03，SD = 7.50) 来自澳大利亚在全国大流行限制高峰期间（2020 年 4 月至 5 月）完成了自我报告措施。回归分析揭示了健康焦虑与抑郁症的孤立行为之间存在正相关关系，并强调了三向交互作用。具体而言，当参与者从事较少的孤立行为时，健康焦虑与抑郁显着负相关。然而，在较高水平的孤立行为下，在线社交联系水平较高的参与者健康焦虑和抑郁之间的关系减弱。研究结果表明，在线社交联系在隔离条件下缓冲了健康焦虑的负面影响。