Risk perception, social distancing, and distress during COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the role of online counseling and perceived social support

Abstract

The study explored the relationship between social distancing and distress along with risk factors of social distancing. Further, online counseling/mental health services and perceived social support were tested as possible moderators between social distancing and distress. Valid and reliable measures were used to collect the data from 300 Indian respondents. Process use of social networking platforms was found to significantly explain social distancing. Online counseling/mental health services and perceived social support moderated the relationship between social distancing and distress. Only 16% of the respondents used online mental health services during the study period. Lack of awareness and acceptance of these services were major barriers.

Ethical approval

The research was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.

Informed consent

Informed consent was sought from the participants before going ahead with data collection.

Disclosure statements

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data is available on OFSHOME (https://osf.io/75x3w/quickfiles).