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Relationships between social interactions, basic psychological needs, and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic
James Dimmock1,2, Amanda E Krause1, Amanda Rebar3
1Department of Psychology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Psychology & Health
|May 17, 2021
Summary
During COVID-19 lockdowns, technology-based interactions supported wellbeing by fostering relatedness, while face-to-face interactions promoted wellbeing through autonomy. These findings highlight the role of digital communication in maintaining social connection and psychological health.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic-induced social lockdowns necessitated increased reliance on technology for social interaction.
- The impact of technology-based versus face-to-face interactions on psychological needs and wellbeing during the pandemic remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how technology-based and face-to-face social interactions influenced psychological needs and general wellbeing among university students during COVID-19 restrictions.
- To assess these factors across multiple time points during a four-month period of enforced social isolation in Australia.
Main Methods:
- Repeated survey assessments were conducted over six time points.
- Data collection occurred over a four-month period during government-enforced restrictions.
- Participants were university students in Australia.
Main Results:
- Relatedness satisfaction significantly mediated the link between technology-based interactions and wellbeing at the within-subjects level.
- Autonomy satisfaction significantly mediated the link between face-to-face interactions and wellbeing at the within-person level.
Conclusions:
- Technology-based interactions play a crucial role in satisfying psychological needs, particularly relatedness, during social isolation.
- Maintaining wellbeing during periods of social distancing requires understanding the distinct contributions of different interaction modalities to psychological needs.
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