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A trouble shared is a trouble halved: The role of family identification and identification with humankind in well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Frenzel Svenja B.,
Junker Nina M.,
Avanzi Lorenzo,
Bolatov Aidos,
Haslam S. Alexander,
Häusser 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,
Zyl Llewellyn E.,
Van Dick Rolf
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/bjso.12470
Subject(s) - feeling , mental health , psychology , anxiety , identification (biology) , social psychology , identity (music) , embodied cognition , physical health , pandemic , developmental psychology , social identity theory , clinical psychology , covid-19 , psychiatry , social group , medicine , disease , botany , physics , pathology , artificial intelligence , computer science , acoustics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biology
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.