This study examined whether social contact, social participation, and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with depression and anxiety. Data were taken from the 2020 COVID-19 Supplement of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 2,778). Depression and anxiety were regressed on social contact frequency, social participation, and social support. Path analyses were also performed. The results showed that in-person contact was related to lower levels of depression, while in-person contact and attending religious services were related to lower levels of anxiety. Giving and receiving support were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Giving support mediated the link between virtual contact, volunteering, and depression, while receiving support mediated the link between virtual contact and depression. Receiving and giving support mediated the association between virtual social contact, volunteering, and anxiety. During the pandemic, being socially connected provided some benefits in terms of emotional well-being, but in some cases being socially connected did not provide salubrious effects.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间老年人的社会接触、社会参与和情绪健康：给予和接受社会支持的作用。

本研究探讨了 COVID-19 大流行期间的社会接触、社会参与和社会支持是否与抑郁和焦虑相关。数据取自 2020 年国家健康和老龄化趋势研究的 COVID-19 补充（N = 2,778）。抑郁和焦虑在社交接触频率、社会参与和社会支持方面有所回归。还进行了路径分析。结果表明，面对面的接触与较低的抑郁水平有关，而面对面的接触和参加宗教仪式则与较低的焦虑水平有关。给予和接受支持与较高程度的抑郁和焦虑有关。给予支持介导了虚拟接触、志愿服务和抑郁之间的联系，而接受支持则介导了虚拟接触和抑郁之间的联系。接受和给予支持介导了虚拟社交接触、志愿服务和焦虑之间的关联。在大流行期间，保持社交联系在情绪健康方面提供了一些好处，但在某些情况下，保持社交联系并没有带来有益的效果。