Lead researcher, Dr Brendan Quinn, said that social support, under any circumstances, is important.

‘Social support can improve resilience to stress, enhance your quality of life and help you work through challenging life events. When someone is experiencing depression, this can be of particular importance,’ Dr Quinn said.

‘Some people with depression might withdraw from their family, friends and other support networks, which could possibly worsen the severity of their depressive symptoms. Conversely, when levels of social support were higher, depression tended to be lower in severity,’ Dr Quinn said.