A Cross-national Comparison of COVID-19 and Mental Health: Understanding Social Trust.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global challenge that many countries were not well equipped for. The present study examined why certain countries did better in terms of deaths caused from the novel virus and mental health outcomes during the first 17 months of the pandemic. Current research has examined many government and policy related variables at an attempt to explain differences of COVID-19 outcomes between and within countries. Studies also examine the complicated changing concept of social capital as well. The goal of this research was to examine countries (N=50) in a cross-national setting testing government/economic, welfare states, Non-pharmaceutical intervention policies, and social trust variables on deaths from COVID-19 and adverse mental health. Various multiple regression series were run using mediation, moderation, and quadratic techniques. The results suggested that having higher social trust in the form of trusting other citizens and trusting government and public institutions may have had a strong influence in reducing countries COVID-19 deaths and adverse mental health outcomes. Countries’ public health officials and government should take into account the public levels of social trust before implementing NPIs and vaccination rollout. A country’s level of social trust may be an important factor to successfully navigate through a pandemic.