Did Social Capital Protect Mental Health from Social Mixing Restrictions and Spatial Immobility during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Longitudinal Analysis of Individual- and Contextual-Level Local Social Capital.

This study investigates whether local social capital (neighbor networks and norms of trust/reciprocity) buffered the impact of mixing/mobility restrictions on psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on two nationally representative panel surveys: the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) Mainstage survey (n = 31,805 person-observations) and UKHLS COVID-19 survey (n = 22,933 person-observations), a subsample of the Mainstage survey respondents followed during the pandemic. Individual-level and (prepandemic/peripandemic) contextual-level local social capital indicators are tested. Longitudinal fixed-effects analyses indicate that distress increased with the onset of mixing restrictions, and peripandemic psychological distress increased more in areas experiencing greater spatial immobility (measured using Google spatial mobility data). However, increases in distress were significantly smaller among individuals reporting both higher individual and contextual social capital. Differences in social contact or neighborhood social support did not explain social capital's buffering role. Results suggest social capital be considered a key element of crisis preparedness.