How the COVID-19 lockdown affects social relationships in Bangladesh: A social media-based cross-sectional study

For controlling the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections, the Bangladesh Government imposed lockdown to ensure social distancing among the mass. The study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on social relationships among Bangladeshi nationals. A social media-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 15 through June 7, 2020. The study used a survey questionnaire to ascertain the people's perception on COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown, and on how the lockdown affected their social relationships. In this study, social relationships referred to the connections between family members, friends, and relatives. Linear regression was employed to determine the predictors of social relationships. A total of 352 survey responses were collected, out of which 64.2 per cent reported that their social relationships became stronger during lockdown. Age, marital status, occupation, and financial condition exhibited significant associations with social relationships. More specifically, young through middle-aged, married, housewives, and financially solvent people had a significant association with having strong social relationships. This study found that the COVID-19 lockdown revealed a positive impact on the social relationships of Bangladeshis. Healthy bonding and cordial support of family and friends are understood to have helped them to mitigate their mental stress, leading to positive health implications.