Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Social contacts and social support represent resources that contribute to resilience. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures, including contact restrictions, posed challenges for young adults’ social networks, in particular for their friendships. Employing a mixed-method approach...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880646/full |
| _version_ | 1818207030631989248 |
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| author | Vanessa Kulcar Vanessa Kulcar Tabea Bork-Hüffer Ann-Malin Schneider |
| author_facet | Vanessa Kulcar Vanessa Kulcar Tabea Bork-Hüffer Ann-Malin Schneider |
| author_sort | Vanessa Kulcar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social contacts and social support represent resources that contribute to resilience. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures, including contact restrictions, posed challenges for young adults’ social networks, in particular for their friendships. Employing a mixed-method approach, we investigated the pandemic’s effects on friendships and their role in successfully navigating the crisis. We combined a qualitative approach based on narratives and in-depth interviews and a quantitative approach based on online surveys focusing on university students in Austria. Longitudinal data collections allowed investigating changes and developments as the pandemic progressed. Results indicate profound challenges for participants’ friendships and difficulties in both building new and maintaining existing friendships. This also impaired the provision of social support by friends, scattering participants’ social resources and diminishing their resilience rather than strengthening it. Altogether, the results of this longitudinal study suggest a lasting negative effect of the pandemic on friendships for students. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:22:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5fe66ad806fa428dad024f60fd427aab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:22:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-5fe66ad806fa428dad024f60fd427aab2022-12-22T00:38:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-05-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.880646880646Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic?Vanessa Kulcar0Vanessa Kulcar1Tabea Bork-Hüffer2Ann-Malin Schneider3Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaDisaster Competence Network Austria, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, AustriaIndependent Researcher, Innsbruck, AustriaSocial contacts and social support represent resources that contribute to resilience. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures, including contact restrictions, posed challenges for young adults’ social networks, in particular for their friendships. Employing a mixed-method approach, we investigated the pandemic’s effects on friendships and their role in successfully navigating the crisis. We combined a qualitative approach based on narratives and in-depth interviews and a quantitative approach based on online surveys focusing on university students in Austria. Longitudinal data collections allowed investigating changes and developments as the pandemic progressed. Results indicate profound challenges for participants’ friendships and difficulties in both building new and maintaining existing friendships. This also impaired the provision of social support by friends, scattering participants’ social resources and diminishing their resilience rather than strengthening it. Altogether, the results of this longitudinal study suggest a lasting negative effect of the pandemic on friendships for students.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880646/fullCOVID-19relationshipssocial networkssocial resourceresilienceyoung adults |
| spellingShingle | Vanessa Kulcar Vanessa Kulcar Tabea Bork-Hüffer Ann-Malin Schneider Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Frontiers in Psychology COVID-19 relationships social networks social resource resilience young adults |
| title | Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_full | Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_fullStr | Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_short | Getting Through the Crisis Together: Do Friendships Contribute to University Students’ Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_sort | getting through the crisis together do friendships contribute to university students resilience during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 relationships social networks social resource resilience young adults |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880646/full |
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