The Role of Egocentric and Contextual Social Connectivity for Protecting Health during Crises: A Longitudinal Analysis through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Social networks can play a key role in cushioning health from the impact of adverse life experiences (ALEs). Recent research suggests this stress-buffering role of social networks may extend to major crises, such as disasters or pandemics. This paper uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a lens through which we aim to advance our understanding of the stress-buffering role of social networks, and social capital more broadly, during periods of acute stress. In doing so, it seeks to answer several key questions: did social networks cushion the impact of the pandemic on health outcomes, and what role are they playing in processes of recovery? Which type of networks mattered most during the pandemic, e.g., strong tie networks (friends/family), local weak ties, or networks embedded in civic organisations? Did average levels of social connectivity in the areas in which people were living (contextual social connectivity) exert any additional stress-buffering role beyond people's own (egocentric) social connectivity? And, what pathways can explain any stress-buffering role of networks? To explore these questions, the paper draws on two nationally representative longitudinal panel surveys of adults in the United Kingdom: 5-waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) Mainstage survey (n=39,543) and 3-waves of the UKHLS Covid-19 survey (n=22,933), the latter being a subsample of the Mainstage survey conducted during the pandemic. Applying fixed-effects longitudinal modelling, the results demonstrate that larger and more active social networks cushioned health from the impact of the pandemic. Family/friends networks, social ties in the local area, and civic ties all exerted independent stress-buffering effects. In addition, both egocentric and contextual social connectivity appeared to offer protection during the pandemic. Differences in material social-support did not explain these stress-buffering roles. Instead, the role of social networks in fostering psychological resilience was a key pathway through which networks cushioned the pandemic's impact.