Social Support Seeking, Appraisals of Work-Life Balance, and Their Associations With Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19

= 396) was conducted. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression, with gender explored as a contextual factor. Results indicated that higher perceived work-life balance was robustly associated with lower depressive symptoms. Notably, support seeking demonstrated a cooperative suppression effect; it showed no unadjusted correlation with depression but emerged as a significant protective predictor once work-life balance was controlled. These associations appeared similar across men and women. Findings suggest that psychological distress during the pandemic was closely intertwined with perceived work and nonwork demands and with how people sought support in response to those demands. Interventions should attend to work-life balance as an important correlate of mental health and recognize that the association between support seeking and depressive symptoms may depend on perceived balance between work and nonwork demands.