Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ogan, Matthew; Monk, J. Kale; Proulx, Christine M.

doi:10.1177/02654075211046531

Cited by 30 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Thus, even though couples who entered the pandemic with pre-existing contextual vulnerabilities may be at increased risk for developing relationship dissatisfaction, those individuals may still fare well and possibly even realize the potential for relationship growth and improvement if they engage in adaptive relationship processes. These findings add to the literature by showing that engaging in pro-relationship processes are important for couples’ adaptation during the pandemic ( Donato et al, 2021 ; Ogan et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Risk and resilience in couple’s adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic

Xiang¹,

Zhang²,

Raza³

et al. 2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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The COVID-19 pandemic’s global scope and resulting social distancing measures have caused unprecedented economic, lifestyle, and social impacts to personal and relationship well-being. While lockdowns have prompted individuals to increase reliance on intimate partners for support, stressful external contexts can also interfere with partners’ capacity to request and provide support, resulting in relationship dissatisfaction and even dissolution. Guided by a risk and resilience framework, this study examined the impact of perceived stress, social contextual factors, and dyadic coping on self-reported relationship satisfaction changes during the initial United States COVID-19 lockdown period. Participants were adults in romantic relationships who completed an online survey between April 13 and June 8, 2020. Overall, survey respondents ( N = 1106) reported higher perceived stress levels than established population norms, and small but significant decrements in relationship satisfaction. Multivariable models revealed that higher perceived stress levels were associated with lower relationship satisfaction levels. Additionally, dyadic coping was found to moderate the impact of perceived stress on relationship satisfaction (B = .05, 95% CI = .02– .07), suggesting that engaging in dyadic coping buffered individuals from adverse effects of perceived stress on their relationships. Findings emphasize heightened stress experienced by individuals during the pandemic, potential detrimental effects of stress on couple relationships, and suggest dyadic coping may help buffer couples from adverse effects of the pandemic on their relationships. As such, dyadic coping may be an important target for future interventions designed to assist couples during the ongoing pandemic and future pandemics/natural disasters.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Risk and resilience in couple’s adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic

Xiang¹,

Zhang²,

Raza³

et al. 2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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“…It was also positively predicted by resilience communication and fear and negatively predicted by anger in married individuals, using Buzzanell’s (2010) Communication Theory of Resilience ( Lillie et al, 2021 ). Conversely, in a longitudinal romantic dyad study, high COVID-19 related stress also predicted lower perceived dyadic coping from the romantic partner, as well as decreased relationship stability over time ( Ogan et al, 2021 ). These findings demonstrate strong adaptive dyadic relationship processes and the need to attenuate enduring individual vulnerabilities ( Pietromonaco & Overall, 2021 ).…”

Section: Review and Synthesis Of The Literaturementioning

confidence: 98%

A descriptive literature review of early research on COVID-19 and close relationships

Bevan

Murphy

Lannutti

et al. 2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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This in-depth critical review investigates the impact of COVID-19 on personal relationships from the start of the pandemic in early 2020 to September 2021. Research examining six themes are identified and described in detail: the impact of COVID-19 on (1) family and intimate relationships; (2) LGBTQ+ relationships; (3) how COVID-19 is linked to technologically mediated communication and personal relationships; (4) potential shifts in sexual behaviors and desire; (5) potential shifts in relational conflict and intimate partner violence; and (6) constructive aspects of personal relationships, which is a broad theme that includes outcomes such as resilience, relational quality, coping, and social support. Findings for overarching patterns are offered to highlight implications for current research and identify future directions to consider when continuing to study personal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar future crises.

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“…Finally, tests of protective factors also provided some evidence that within-couple processes may promote resilience within lockdowns. Consistent with research in the early stages of the pandemic, greater partner support during lockdowns was associated with better psychological and physical health, enhanced couple and family functioning, and more positive parenting outcomes (e.g., Donato et al, 2021;McRae et al, 2021;Ogan et al, 2021;Randall et al, 2021). Beyond these main effects, however, partner support only buffered average declines in couple and family functioning (three of five tests), but not in health (one of four tests), across the lockdowns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Accordingly, support is theorized to be critical in helping couples sustain relationships during the pandemic and has been a key focus of pandemic-related research. Providing initial evidence that partner support may help parents remain resilient, perceived partner support protected against psychological distress and predicted better couple and parenting outcomes during the early months of the pandemic (e.g., Brown et al, 2020;Donato et al, 2021;Holmstrom et al, 2021;McRae et al, 2021;Ogan et al, 2021;Randall et al, 2021). We extend these initial findings by testing whether perceived support reduced the risk and helped sustain resilience in health and couple/family functioning across the first 1.5 years of the pandemic (from Lockdown 2020 to 2021).…”

Section: Moderators Of Risk Versus Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns: Risk versus Resilience in Parents’ Health and Family Functioning Across the Pandemic

Overall¹,

Chang²,

Low³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Are parents and families struggling with the ongoing demands of the pandemic, or are parents resilient and adjusted to the ‘new normal’? Assessing average risk versus resilience requires examining how parents and families have fared across the pandemic, beyond the initial months examined in prior investigations. The current research examines average levels of risk versus resilience in parents’ health and functioning over the first 1.5 years of the pandemic. Parents (N = 272) who had completed general assessments prior to the pandemic completed reassessments of psychological and physical health, couple and family functioning, and parenting within two lockdowns involving mandatory home confinement: at the beginning of the pandemic (26 March–28 April 2020) and 17 months later (18 August–21 September 2021). On average, parents exhibited declines in psychological and physical health (greater depressive symptoms; reduced well-being, energy and physical health) and in couple and family functioning (reduced commitment and family cohesion; greater problem severity and family chaos). By contrast, parent-child relationship quality and parenting practices were resilient with no average differences across the lockdowns. Declines in health and couple/family functioning generally occurred irrespective of pre-existing vulnerabilities (poor health and functioning prior to the pandemic) and external stress (reported impact of the pandemic). Partner support, however, tended to buffer declines in couple/family functioning. The results emphasize that attending to the challenges parents and couples face in the home will be important targets to mitigate the ongoing risks of the pandemic to parents’ and children’s well-being.

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Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 30 publications

References 73 publications

Risk and resilience in couple’s adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic

Risk and resilience in couple’s adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic

A descriptive literature review of early research on COVID-19 and close relationships

Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns: Risk versus Resilience in Parents’ Health and Family Functioning Across the Pandemic

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