Association of social support with negative emotions among Chinese adolescents during Omicron-related lockdown of Shenzhen City: The roles of rumination and sleep quality

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents are likely to suffer from negative emotions such as depression and anxiety due to the rapid development of biological, cognitive and social changes. Previous studies have indicated possible risk (rumination) and protective (good social support and high sleep quality) factors for depression and anxiety among this age group. The present study is the first to investigate the association between social support and negative emotions during the Outbreak of Omicron variant, on this basis, to further determine the mediating role of rumination and sleep quality on this link. METHOD: A total of 1,065 Chinese middle- and high-school students (51.5% female, M(age) = 13.80, SD = 1.20) completed a psychosocial battery, including the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Serial multiple mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS macro based on SPSS. RESULTS: Social support, rumination, and sleep quality were significantly negatively correlated with negative emotional states (Ps < 0.05). Further, rumination and sleep quality were found to partially mediate the relationship between social support and negative emotional states. CONCLUSIONS: For early detection and prevention of depression and anxiety, providing sufficient social support is necessary for adolescents, because rumination and sleep problems are reported during stressful periods, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.