Solidarity With Friends,Relationship Status,and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

While the solidarity paradigm has been extensively applied to intergenerational relationships, its relevance to adult friendships remains largely unexplored. Therefore, we aimed to uncover distinct types of solidarity with friends among adults and examine whether these types are associated with mental health (depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and self-esteem) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we examined the moderating role of relationship status (partnered vs. unpartnered) on the above associations. We analyzed 1,353 adults (age range: 17-91) from the Longitudinal Study of Generations (2022) Wave. Latent class analysis with three-step approach was conducted. Four latent classes of solidarity with friends were identified: (1) Tight-knit with many friends, (2) Social with many friends, (3) Functional with few friends, and (4) Detached with few friends. Furthermore, individuals who were identified in the Tight-knit with many friends and Social with many friends latent classes reported better mental health than those in the Detached with few friends latent class. Regarding the moderation effects, we found that unpartnered individuals in the Detached with few friends latent class reported poorer mental health than partnered counterparts, compared to those in Tight-knit with many friends and Social with many friends latent classes. Our findings indicate that solidarity with friends plays a crucial role in promoting mental health in adulthood, especially for those who are unpartnered. By extending the solidarity paradigm to the realm of adult friendships, this study lays a foundation for further inquiry into social networks within family science.

Keywords

solidarity paradigm friendships adulthood mental health COVID-19 pandemic

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