Journalartikel

A trouble shared is a trouble halved: The role of family identification and identification with humankind in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic


AutorenlisteFrenzel, Svenja B.; Junker, Nina M.; Avanzi, Lorenzo; Bolatov, Aidos; Haslam, S. Alexander; Haeusser, Jan A.; Kark, Ronit; Meyer, Ines; Mojzisch, Andreas; Monzani, Lucas; Reicher, Stephen; Samekin, Adil; Schury, Valerie A.; Steffens, Niklas K.; Sultanova, Liliya; Van Dijk, Dina; van Zyl, Llewellyn E.; Van Dick, Rolf

Jahr der Veröffentlichung2022

Seiten55-82

ZeitschriftBritish Journal of Social Psychology

Bandnummer61

Heftnummer1

ISSN0144-6665

eISSN2044-8309

Open Access StatusHybrid

DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12470

VerlagWiley


Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered health-related anxiety in ways that undermine peoples' mental and physical health. Contextual factors such as living in a high-risk area might further increase the risk of health deterioration. Based on the Social Identity Approach, we argue that social identities can not only be local that are characterized by social interactions, but also be global that are characterized by a symbolic sense of togetherness and that both of these can be a basis for health. In line with these ideas, we tested how identification with one's family and with humankind relates to stress and physical symptoms while experiencing health-related anxiety and being exposed to contextual risk factors. We tested our assumptions in a representative sample (N = 974) two-wave survey study with a 4-week time lag. The results show that anxiety at Time 1 was positively related to stress and physical symptoms at Time 2. Feeling exposed to risk factors related to lower physical health, but was unrelated to stress. Family identification and identification with humankind were both negatively associated with subsequent stress and family identification was negatively associated with subsequent physical symptoms. These findings suggest that for social identities to be beneficial for mental health, they can be embodied as well as symbolic.



Zitierstile

Harvard-ZitierstilFrenzel, S., Junker, N., Avanzi, L., Bolatov, A., Haslam, S., Haeusser, J., et al. (2022) A trouble shared is a trouble halved: The role of family identification and identification with humankind in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, British Journal of Social Psychology, 61(1), pp. 55-82. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12470

APA-ZitierstilFrenzel, S., Junker, N., Avanzi, L., Bolatov, A., Haslam, S., Haeusser, J., Kark, R., Meyer, I., Mojzisch, A., Monzani, L., Reicher, S., Samekin, A., Schury, V., Steffens, N., Sultanova, L., Van Dijk, D., van Zyl, L., & Van Dick, R. (2022). A trouble shared is a trouble halved: The role of family identification and identification with humankind in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology. 61(1), 55-82. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12470



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