Background. Burgeoning evidence suggests that loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic is tied to high levels of depression and anxiety. The current study is unique, though, in examining which facets of social behavior and perceived social quality are most tied to internalizing symptoms using longitudinal data, including a pre-pandemic baseline, collected from a community sample of adults with pre-existing mental health concerns (analyzed n = 144). Methods. Participants completed measures of depressive and anxious symptoms pre-pandemic, followed by three weekly surveys during the pandemic. We distinguished four social variables: in-person social engagement, remote social engagement, social disruption, and social distress. OLS and mixed-effects regression models examined 1) pre-pandemic baseline symptoms as predictors of social functioning during the pandemic and 2) time-lagged associations between symptoms and social functioning during the pandemic. Results. Social behavior and social perceptions were dissociable. Baseline depressive, but not anxious, symptoms predicted greater social distress during the pandemic. Both anxious and depressive symptoms were predicted by social variables, but the specific associations differed: depressive symptoms were related to perceived social quality, whereas anxious symptoms were more tied to reported social behavior. Limitations. We relied on self-report indices, and causality should not be inferred directly from these correlational data. Conclusions. Overall, our results indicate that it is possible to follow social guidelines and even to spend relatively few hours socializing with close others, while still feeling connected and rewarded; however, people who struggle with depression and anhedonia were particularly vulnerable to distressing feelings of social disconnection amid the pandemic.

背景。越来越多的证据表明，COVID-19 大流行期间的孤独感与高度抑郁和焦虑有关。不过，目前的研究是独一无二的，它使用纵向数据（包括大流行前基线）检查社会行为和感知社会质量的哪些方面与内在化症状最相关，这些纵向数据是从社区样本中收集的，这些样本是有心理健康问题的成年人（分析n  = 144）。方法。参与者完成了大流行前抑郁和焦虑症状的测量，然后在大流行期间进行了三周的调查。我们区分了四个社会变量：面对面的社会参与、远程社会参与、社会中断和社会困扰。OLS 和混合效应回归模型检查了 1) 大流行前基线症状作为大流行期间社会功能的预测因素，以及 2) 大流行期间症状与社会功能之间的时间滞后关联。结果。社会行为和社会观念是分离的。基线抑郁而非焦虑症状预示着大流行期间会有更大的社会压力。焦虑和抑郁症状均由社会变量预测，但具体关联不同：抑郁症状与感知的社会质量有关，而焦虑症状与报告的社会行为更相关。限制。我们依赖于自我报告指数，不应直接从这些相关数据中推断出因果关系。结论。总的来说，我们的结果表明，可以遵循社会准则，甚至花相对较少的时间与亲密的人交往，同时仍然感到联系和奖励；然而，在大流行期间，与抑郁症和快感缺乏症作斗争的人特别容易受到与社会脱节的痛苦感觉的影响。