Social support buffers young men's resilient coping to psychological distress

Abstract

Aim: Social support and resilient coping can aid mental health. The aim of this study was to examine age effects of social support on men's resilient coping for psychological distress. Methods: The sample consisted of 434 help-seeking Canadian men who completed standardized measures. Regression analyses tested a moderated moderation model, controlling for COVID-19 pandemic impact. Results: Greater resilient coping was associated with lower psychological distress and this relationship was moderated by social support. Higher levels of social support had a significant positive effect on men's resilient coping for psychological distress. Findings indicated that younger men (18–24 years) were most positively buffered by social support. Conclusions: Social support appears to be particularly important for young men's coping response to psychological distress. This is an important finding in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, where social support networks have been challenged. Community-based and clinical programs and initiatives that proactively target young men's development of social connections and robust supportive networks, while bolstering their individual resilient coping skills, are likely to provide protections from psychological distress.