Family Communication and COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's lifestyles as well as communication processes and family communication in very different ways. Some of these are social isolation and physical distance during the pandemic period. This situation has led to family members having less face-to-face contact with each other, reduced visits to relatives due to travel restrictions, and limiting non-family relationships. This situation affected the communication dynamics within the family and strained the emotional bonds between family members. During the pandemic period, dependence on and use of communication technologies has increased. Families continued their communication through virtual platforms and used tools such as video calling, messaging, and social media more. In this regard, the aim of this chapter is to address the communication difficulties faced by families during the COVID-19 pandemic and to offer solutions to develop healthy communication dynamics during the stay-at-home period.