This study was conducted to determine the relationship between loneliness and social support in adolescents affected by the earthquake.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted in April-May 2023 with 549 adolescents aged 12-18 living in 11 provinces affected by the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake in Turkey. In this study, the snowball sampling method was used. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.

Statistical analyses included independent t-test, one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey HSD and Dunnett’s tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis.

Most adolescents were significantly affected by the earthquake. Their loneliness score was below average, while their perceived social support score was above average. There was a significant negative relationship between loneliness and perceived social support. Key factors influencing loneliness included satisfaction with current living conditions, loss of relatives, and feelings of loneliness post-earthquake.

The findings highlight the critical role of social support in reducing loneliness among adolescents affected by the earthquake. Enhancing social support networks and addressing factors such as living conditions and loss experiences are crucial for improving the psychological well-being of disaster-affected adolescents.

Although lack of assertiveness (LOA) and hostility are established risk factors for depression, the mechanisms linking them to depression and their genetic or environmental contributions remain unclear. We used the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) to test whether social support (SS) deficits mediated these pathways.

Community-dwelling twins (N = 2,034; 1,017 pairs) were followed for up to 23 years (1984–2007). We examined serial (LOA → hostility → SS → depression) and parallel (LOA + hostility → SS → depression) mediation models. Within-pair difference analyses in monozygotic (n = 317) and dizygotic (n = 645) pairs isolated non-shared environmental pathways.

Within monozygotic pairs, where genetic confounding is removed by design, LOA did not predict hostility. Hence, the serial indirect effect was not significant. The hostility → SS → depression indirect effect was significant in the serial model (b = 0.020, 95% CI [0.005, 0.038], β = 0.036); the parallel-model estimate was smaller and in the same direction. LOA and hostility directly predicted depression in both models (β = 0.100 to 0.227, p ≤ .039). Within dizygotic twins, where only 50% of additive genetic variance is removed on average, LOA predicted hostility (β = 0.089, p = .003).

The null monozygotic association between LOA and hostility is consistent with genetic confounding, although limited power and measurement-error attenuation cannot be ruled out. However, the hostility → SS → depression pathway and these direct effects are consistent with environmentally mediated processes that may be actionable intervention targets beyond genetic susceptibility.

Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are separated from family and at-home support networks while working abroad. This may affect their mental health due to stressors, social isolation and loneliness. Evidence shows mixed results on whether social capital and social support enhance MDWs’ mental health, warranting further investigation. This study assessed how positive and negative dimensions of social network capital are associated with mental health, loneliness and self-rated health among MDWs in Macao SAR, China.

Using respondent-driven sampling, 1,681 MDWs (Filipino n = 1329; Indonesian n = 352) were enrolled. Egocentric name-generating questions captured network size, emotional closeness, social support helpfulness, reciprocity burden and financial support access. Multivariable linear regression examined associations stratified by nationality, and subgroup analysis by network type were examined. To address multiple comparisons across five network capital measures and five outcomes, p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) false discovery rate procedure.

Network capital characteristics differed across network types. The mean (standard deviation) overall network size was 6.00 (3.77) for Filipino MDWs and 3.69 (2.52) for Indonesian MDWs. Following BH adjustment, among Filipino MDWs, greater social support helpfulness was associated with lower loneliness (Standardized β [Stdβ] = −0.15, Standard error [SE] = 0.02, p < 0.001) and better self-rated health [Stdβ = 0.15, SE = 0.01, p < 0.001]), while higher reciprocity burden was consistently associated with poorer outcomes (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]: Stdβ = 0.21, SE = 0.63, p < 0.001). Network size was associated with higher mental health symptom scores (Depression: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.004; Anxiety: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.003; PTSD: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.11, p = 0.003), but less loneliness (Stdβ = –0.07, SE = 0.01, p = 0.007). Among Indonesian MDWs, reciprocity burden and financial support access showed associations primarily with depression (reciprocity burden: Stdβ = 0.44, SE = 0.60, p < 0.001; financial support: Stdβ = 0.22, SE = 0.97, p = 0.007) and anxiety (reciprocity burden: Stdβ = 0.32, SE = 0.60, p < 0.001; financial support: Stdβ = 0.23, SE = 0.97, p = 0.008) within roommate networks. Most standardized effect sizes were modest (Stdβ < 0.25).

Network capital is associated with mental health, loneliness and self-rated health among MDWs, but patterns differ by nationality and network type. Culturally responsive and context-specific strategies that strengthen supportive ties and reduce network-related burdens may improve MDWs’ health.

This study examined the associations among supportive care needs, perceived social support, and quality of life among family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer and explored caregivers’ lived experiences of the caregiving process.

A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted at a university oncology center in Türkiye. Quantitative data were collected from 328 family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer using the Supportive Care Needs Survey–Caregivers (SCNS-C), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the SF-12 Health Survey. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 22 caregivers and analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach.

Higher supportive care needs were significantly associated with poorer physical and mental quality of life, whereas higher perceived social support was significantly associated with better quality of life. Supportive care needs demonstrated negative correlations with both physical and mental health-related quality of life, while perceived social support demonstrated positive correlations with these outcomes (all p < .05).

Impacts of the Caregiving Process and Emotional and Psychological Dimensions of Caregiving. Caregivers described disruptions in family and social life, financial strain, unmet support needs, emotional distress, reliance on family and community support, religious coping, and fluctuating feelings of hope and despair.

The findings suggest that supportive care needs and perceived social support are associated with caregiver well-being. Integrating caregiver assessment, psychosocial support, and interventions into palliative care services may help address unmet needs and improve quality of life among caregivers of advanced cancer patients.

Peripartum depression is a common complication of pregnancy and the postpartum period, with adverse consequences for maternal and infant well-being. Perceived social support may be a modifiable protective factor, but South African data linking social context and depressive symptoms remain limited.

To estimate the proportion of peripartum women screening positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms; describe perceived social support and selected social determinants of health; examine associations between social support and screening outcome; and explore whether findings differed between ante- and postpartum participants.

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Tshwane District Hospital, Gauteng, South Africa. Two hundred peripartum women (100 antenatal clinic, 100 postnatal ward) completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Oslo Social Support Scale. Screening positivity was defined primarily as EPDS ≥13, with a sensitivity analysis using EPDS ≥11.

Using the primary EPDS threshold (≥13), 36.5% (n = 73) screened positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms and 48.0% (n = 96) screened positive in the sensitivity analysis (EPDS ≥11). Poor, moderate and strong perceived social support were reported by 29.5, 45.5 and 25.0% of participants, respectively. Lower perceived social support was significantly associated with screening positivity at EPDS ≥13 (p = 0.0062) and remained significant at EPDS ≥11 (p = 0.0008). At EPDS ≥13, lack of access to electricity (p = 0.0252) and a prior depressive disorder diagnosis (p = 0.0251) were also associated with screening positivity. In the sensitivity analysis (EPDS ≥11), reported discrimination/violence/abuse (p = 0.0077) and antepartum status (p = 0.0106) were additionally associated with screening positivity.

Lower perceived social support showed a robust association with screening positivity, supporting the value of integrating brief screening for depressive symptoms and support needs into routine antenatal and postnatal care, with clear referral pathways for psychosocial support.

Quality of social support is linked to mental health, but less is known about its long-term effects. We aimed to investigate the effects of the quality of social support on affective symptoms from midlife through later life.

Data were used from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), a prospective birth cohort originally consisting of 5,362 people born in 1946. Affective symptoms were measured at ages 53, 60–64, and 69 years using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and longitudinal affective symptom trajectories were derived using growth mixture modeling. Quality of social support (positive and negative) was assessed at age 53 years with an adapted version of the Close Persons Questionnaire. Associations of positive and negative social support with affective symptoms at each age and with the longitudinal trajectories were tested using structural equation modeling and the R3 Step approach.

Four distinct affective symptom trajectories were identified: no/low symptoms (83%), low and increasing symptoms (8%), consistently moderate/high symptoms (5%), and moderate/high and decreasing symptoms (4%). In fully adjusted models, negative social support was associated with affective symptoms at all three ages (β: 0.09–0.16, all p-values < .001) and with the ‘consistently moderate/high symptoms’ trajectory (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.36, 2.01, p < .001); no association was found for positive social support.

Results highlight the importance of negative social support as a potential modifiable factor in prevention and intervention initiatives for affective symptoms among adults from midlife to later life.

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between death anxiety, spiritual well-being, and social support in patients with gynecological cancer.

This descriptive study consisted of 519 patients with gynecological cancers. Data were collected using a “Personal Information Form,” the “Death Anxiety Scale,” the “Spiritual Well-Being Scale,” and the “Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale.”

The mean total score of the Death Anxiety Scale was 6.8 ± 2.95, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was 31.16 ± 5.24, and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale was 62.46 ± 13.76. A positive correlation was found between the scores of the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. However, death anxiety levels were not influenced by spiritual well-being or social support levels (p < 0.001). As the level of perceived social support increases, spiritual well-being also increases; however, no significant relationship was found between death anxiety and either spiritual well-being or perceived social support.

The findings of this study highlight the importance of social support as a key factor associated with higher levels of spiritual well-being in women with gynecological cancer. Strengthening patients’ support systems may contribute to better psychological and spiritual adjustment during cancer treatment. Although death anxiety was not significantly related to either spiritual well-being or perceived social support, this result suggests that death anxiety may be influenced by other clinical or personal factors beyond these psychosocial variables. These findings provide guidance for developing supportive care programs that prioritize social support enhancement to improve overall patient well-being.

Prenatal anxiety is common and may negatively affect the early mother–infant relationship, yet it has received less attention than perinatal depression, particularly in low-resource settings. The psychosocial pathways linking prenatal anxiety to postpartum bonding difficulties remain poorly understood.

This prospective longitudinal study followed 501 pregnant women in Pakistan from early pregnancy (T1; 15–20 weeks gestation) to 8 weeks postpartum (T2). Prenatal anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale–7 (GAD-7), and depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9). Late-pregnancy psychosocial stressors, including pregnancy experiences, domestic violence, and perceived stress, as well as perceived social support, were assessed at T1.5 (30–36 weeks gestation). Postpartum outcomes included mother–infant bonding difficulties measured by the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) and postpartum anxiety symptoms. Longitudinal path analysis, parallel mediation, and moderated mediation models were conducted.

Prenatal anxiety significantly predicted postpartum bonding difficulties (β = .18, p = .001), independent of prenatal depressive symptoms. This relationship was partially mediated by late-pregnancy psychosocial stressors (total indirect effect = 0.34, 95% CI [0.23, 0.46]). Prenatal anxiety also demonstrated continuity with postpartum anxiety (β = .45, p < .001), which was associated with poorer bonding outcomes (β = .28, p < .001). Perceived social support moderated both direct and indirect pathways. Higher support weakened the direct association between prenatal anxiety and bonding difficulties (interaction β = −.13, p = .001) and reduced indirect effects through psychosocial stressors (index of moderated mediation = −0.07, 95% CI [−0.13, −0.02]).

Prenatal anxiety is a distinct and clinically meaningful predictor of early mother–infant bonding difficulties. Its effects operate through persistent anxiety and heightened psychosocial stress, while perceived social support serves as an important protective factor. Interventions targeting prenatal anxiety, psychosocial stressors, and social support may help promote healthier mother–infant bonding in resource-constrained settings.

Psychotic experiences (PEs) in are associated with elevated risk for mental health difficulties. This study examined predictors of PEs, inclusive of the role of gender, ethnicity, and protective factors.

Data were drawn from a 2021 Planet Youth survey of adolescents (n = 4,005). PEs were measured using the adolescent psychotic symptom screener. Effects of psychosocial predictors on PEs were measured by fitting multivariable logistic regression main effect and joint exposure models.

29.8% reported PEs. Black/Asian/Other minorities had elevated odds (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.26–2.02, p < .001). Increased odds in males, females, undisclosed gender and non-binary/transgender with elevated emotional/behavioural difficulties (aOR = 4.47, 95% CI 3.53–5.67, p < .001; aOR = 3.25, 95% CI 2.59–4.08, p < .001; aOR = 4.83, 95% CI 2.58–9.02, p < .001; aOR = 4.33, 95% CI 2.69–6.97, p < .001 respectively). High odds in undisclosed gender with low emotional/behavioural difficulties (aOR = 4.36, 95% CI 1.50–12.66, p = .007). Lower odds from perceived school/home safety (aOR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.58–0.83, p < .001 and (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.66–0.99, p = .038, respectively). Elevated odds from recent adversities (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.47–2.49, p = .011) attenuated by parental support (aOR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.17–2.65, p < .001). Each additional adversity (>12 months) increased odds (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.07–1.17, p < .001).

Findings highlight the interplay of risk and protective factors in adolescent PEs, with increased vulnerability among minoritized youth. Results support targeted interventions to reduce mental health disparities.

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is characterised by persistent yearning and intense emotional pain, and is often accompanied by identity disruption and social withdrawal. Research has identified various PGD risk factors; however, limited research has examined how relationship to the deceased relates to PGD risk.

This study introduces ‘simpatico’, a novel construct assessing a mourner’s perceived similarity and connection to the deceased as a risk factor for PGD. Grounded in the micro-sociological theory of bereavement, the study hypothesises that simpatico relationships heighten PGD risk because of the particular social deprivations their absence creates.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey via online surveys with 400 bereaved. Data were analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as correlation- and regression-based analyses.

A nine-item Simpatico Scale was validated within a Turkish bereaved adult sample (N = 400), demonstrating good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.90). Regression analyses revealed that elevated simpatico scores, particularly felt similarities with the deceased, were significantly associated with PGD symptom severity (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), even when controlling for demographic, cause of death, relationship to deceased and social support variables.

Results identify simpatico as a new, particularly influential, interpersonal risk factor for PGD. Further, according to the micro-sociological theory, results suggest that promotion of simpatico relationships among bereaved persons may compensate for the social deprivations resulting from simpatico relationship losses. In these ways, this study identifies mourners at risk and suggests promising ways to intervene to reduce mourners’ risk of PGD.

This study investigates the relationships between family burden, perceived social support, quality of life and happiness among mothers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).

This study aimed to examine the relationship between family burden and maternal happiness, and to investigate the serial mediating roles of perceived social support and family quality of life in mothers of children with IDDs.

The study sample comprised 250 mothers of children with IDDs. Data were collected using validated instruments: The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, a family burden scale, the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses and structural equation modelling were conducted with software SPSS 26.0 and JASP 0.16.4.

Perceived social support and family quality of life were positively associated with happiness and negatively associated with caregiving burden; structural equation modelling indicated that their sequential mediation fully explained the link between family burden and happiness.

The findings underscore the critical role of social support and family quality of life in mitigating the negative impact of caregiving burden on maternal happiness.

To examine mediators and modifiable psychosocial factors associated with psychological distress, depression, anxiety and self-rated health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter respectfully referred to as ‘Indigenous Australians’) aged ≥18 years.

This was a cross-sectional study based on the analysis of the 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey dataset (N = 3942). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations and indirect effects for mediation analyses were computed.

Our results showed that Indigenous Australians with higher levels of perceived social support were less likely to have psychological distress (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.56), depression (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.67), anxiety (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.65) and low self-rated health (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.82). Similarly, those with a high level of mastery were less likely to have psychological distress (OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.19), depression (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.28), anxiety (OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.36), and low self-rated health (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.50). Perceived social support mediated 33.7% of the association between removal from the natural family and psychological distress, 14.6% of the association between discrimination and psychological distress, 20.3% of the association between discrimination and depression, 14.8% of the association between discrimination and anxiety and 16.6% of the association between discrimination and low self-rated health. Both perceived social support and mastery mediated the association between physical harm and psychological distress, depression and anxiety.

We believe that community-driven psychosocial programs that enhance social support, self-efficacy and cultural connection may significantly improve the mental health and psychosocial well-being of Indigenous Australians.