Adult Social Networks and Well Being

PROJECT SUMMARY The proposed project will significantly advance the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 relatedmitigation strategies on isolation, loneliness, alcohol use, alcohol use consequences, and mental health andphysical health outcomes by using social network analysis to investigate how isolation and personal networksare related to patterns of drinking over time. Isolation and loneliness are both known to negatively impact a rangeof health outcomes and health behaviors; while prolonged COVID-19 related stay-at-home orders will increaseisolation, it is unknown what impact they will have on loneliness or the other identified outcomes, which groupswill be most susceptible to negative outcomes, or whether changes in alcohol use will be temporary or long lived.The fields of alcohol research and prevention may see substantial benefit from the use of novel methodologicaltechniques to develop models that may provide a clearer understanding of the ways in which physical isolationand related mitigation strategies impact adult drinking. Specifically, the proposed project will: 1) assess how COVID-19 related changes in physical isolation,perceptions of loneliness, and social support exchanges (emotional and instrumental support) are linked tochanges in mental health, physical health, and alcohol use and consequences in a nationally representativesample of N=1,771 30-80 year olds; 2) determine the relative importance of a range of structural and behavioralpersonal network characteristics on changes in mental health, physical health, and alcohol use andconsequences during COVID-19; and 3) examine the role of COVID-19 related changes in physical isolation,loneliness, and social support on mental health, physical health, and alcohol use and consequences disparitiesby sex, race/ethnicity and economic status within and across two stages of the adult lifespan (mid- and later-life), and identify adults who are more resilient versus vulnerable to COVID-19 related impacts. To do so, we propose to add two surveys to our ongoing data collection for R01AA025956 that specificallyexamine COVID-19 related changes in physical isolation, loneliness, social support, personal and networkalcohol use, and alcohol use outcomes. With this additional data collection, we will have five waves of data onthese measures, spanning critical phases of the COVID pandemic: pre-COVID (Parent project Wave 1, reflectingApril 2019 behaviors), early-COVID (Parent project Wave 2, reflecting April 2020 - during the rollout of distancingguidelines), mid- and late-COVID (2 supplemental surveys: August 2020 and February 2021, likely during easingof current restrictions), and post-COVID (Parent project Wave 3, reflecting April 2021). The study will provide new insights into the role of isolation, loneliness, and social support on alcohol use,and associated health-related disparities, subsequent to pandemic-related mitigation strategies based onisolation. Additionally, data from the study will eventually be made publicly available and other researchers willalso be able to continue to survey the same panel, providing an ongoing resource for the scientific community.