Social Isolation or Physical Distancing? Strategies to Combat Adverse Effects of Social Distancing

Background and Aim: During covid-۱۹ pandemic, one of the important health strategies to prevent the spread of disease is social distancing. Social communication is essential for coping with crisis stress, while loneliness and social isolation lead to worsening stress and adverse health consequences. Researchers have proposed several strategies to mitigate these consequences. Methods: A review study was carried out to find documentation related to the topic of searching in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, ISI, Web of Science Search, Magiran, SID, in both Persian and English, and related articles reviewed and evaluated. Results: Distancing threatens to aggravate feelings of loneliness and could produce negative long-term health consequences. Social distance means that one limits consciously meaningful interactions in order to maintain health, and therefore this phrase should not be interpreted as loneliness or social isolation. Thus, a useful alternative term might be ‘physical distancing’, to highlight the fact that social connection is promising even when people are physically disconnected. Another strategy is to use online interactions which can raise a sense of connection. Both Receiving and providing support through online communication can be psychologically helpful and the important point is to use social media actively because researches show that inactive use of social media has no effect on the sense of social connection. Instead, it seems that the use of technologies rich in information, mutually and synchronously, can be effective in creating a sense of empathy and connect. Conclusion: Therefore, it should be noted that people who are less familiar with these technologies should be trained to be able to use these facilities properly and optimally.

کلیدواژه ها:

Social Isolation ، Social Distancing ، COVID-۱۹ ، Strategies