대인관계 유능성에 따른 고립감과 사회적 지지가 사회적 신뢰에 미치는 영향: 팬데믹 시기, 사회적 거리두기 해제 직후, 뉴노멀 시기의 단면적 비교

초록

The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes not only to the global economy and industries but also to social relationships and the formation of social trust. In particular, the prolonged implementation of social distancing and the normalization of non-face-to-face communication appear to have indirectly influenced interpersonal interactions and the mechanisms underlying social trust. This study aims to examine the time-specific relationships between interpersonal competence, loneliness, social support, and social trust across three phases of the pandemic: the pandemic period (T1), the immediate post-social-distancing period (T2), and the "new normal" era (T3). Applying the theoretical frameworks of social adaptation theory and the buffering hypothesis of social support, this study empirically investigates how individuals’ interpersonal competence contributes to building trust in rapidly changing social contexts. Using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS Macro Model 14, the study conducted descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis. Data were collected from 2,581 respondents in March 2022 (T1), 2,280 in April 2023 (T2), and 1,835 in April 2024 (T3), enabling cross-sectional comparisons across time. The results show that interpersonal competence was negatively associated with loneliness and positively associated with social trust across all time periods. This suggests that individuals with high interpersonal competence may maintain psychological stability and support trust-building even in periods of major social change. Furthermore, loneliness partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal competence and social trust, while social support moderated the link between loneliness and social trust. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of perceived social support were more likely to retain or recover trust despite the disruptive effects of the pandemic. These findings contribute to understanding the dynamic psychological mechanisms of trust formation and recovery during long-term crises. They also offer practical implications for sustaining and restoring social trust, such as strengthening both digital and in-person social support systems, developing community-based communication programs, and implementing public interventions to reduce psychological isolation. Future research should include policy, economic, and media-related variables to more comprehensively explain changes in social trust.

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