“This Is Not the Hill to Die on. Even if We Literally Could Die on This Hill”: Examining Communication Ecologies of Uncertainty and Family Communication About COVID-19

Hernandez, Rachael; Colaner, Colleen Warner

doi:10.1177/0002764221992840

Cited by 29 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Studies have addressed perceptions of risk, subjective well-being, and mental health during the pandemic (Breznau 2021;Buyukkececi 2021;Kuhn et al 2020;Ohlbrecht & Jellen 2021;Soiné et al 2021;Wang et al 2020), with some focusing on the specific role of economic uncertainty (Bakioğlu, Korkmaz & Ercan 2020;Godinic, Obrenovic & Khudaykulov 2020). There has also been some interest in the effects of COVID-induced uncertainty on fertility intentions (Guetto, Vignoli & Bazzani 2020;Luppi, Arpino & Rosina 2020) and sparse qualitative research has analysed the management of chronic uncertainty in family communications and decision-making processes during the pandemic (Hernandez & Colaner 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing uncertainty: Lone parents' time horizons and agency in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Mira¹,

Moles-Kalt²,

Bernardi³

2022

JFamRes

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Objective: This article shows the analytical value of an approach that integrates theoretical elaborations about the temporal orientations of different types of agency (pragmatic, identity, and life course) and uncertainty management, to analyse how families dealt with the challenges emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: The pandemic has been a major shock that has seriously challenged families' ability to adapt to sudden changes affecting multiple domains of life. Switzerland established a low-intensity lockdown in the spring of 2020, with social-distancing measures based on official recommendations. Changes in employment situations and school closures resulted in significant alterations to family life. This study examines how individuals with a trajectory of lone parenthood dealt with the increased uncertainties generated by this novel context. Method: Empirical data stems from the fourth wave of fieldwork of the longitudinal project "The multiple paths of lone parenthood", ongoing in French-speaking Switzerland since 2012–2013. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 participants between April and June 2020. Results: The emergence of novel situations, the ambiguity of social-distancing measures, and the breakdown of routines accentuated pragmatic agency for most families. With the chronification of uncertainty, parents sought to regain identity agency by restabilising everyday routines. Uncertainty about future developments diminished life course agency, especially for parents in more insecure situations. Conclusion: The study offers an original perspective on the challenges of living through increased uncertainty and changing environments triggered by the pandemic, by highlighting the relevance of temporalities for understanding agency within life course processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing uncertainty: Lone parents' time horizons and agency in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Mira¹,

Moles-Kalt²,

Bernardi³

2022

JFamRes

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“…The ambiguity of COVID-19 has increased stress, anxiety, and conflicts within families (e.g., Cohodes et al, 2021; Gunther et al, 2020; Hernandez & Colaner, 2021; Qiu et al, 2020; Yee-Man Wong et al, 2021). The global pandemic has brought a wave of uncertainty to families (Hernandez & Colaner, 2021), which renders efforts to understand and make sense of the pandemic and appropriate reactions more difficult. As Solomon (2020) writes, “This crisis holds the power to wreak havoc on our family relationships” (para.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). Increases of uncertainty induce more than average levels of stress and anxiety within a family environment, and stress and anxiety have been linked by many scholars as root causes for disagreements (Brown, 2020; Hernandez & Colaner, 2021; Yee-Man Wong et al, 2021). For families with individuals with medical conditions or compromised immune systems, this stress and anxiety is magnified (Gray, 2020; Goodboy et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Arguing about social distancing and family relationships

Johnson

Bostwick

Morrissey

2021

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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With the COVID-19 pandemic, families are having to coordinate their behaviors to face new challenges, such as negotiating the social distancing measures that the family will or will not take in their daily interaction. This study utilizes Family Communication Patterns Theory to examine conversations that young adults reported having with their family members about social distancing measures and what factors predicted the outcomes of these disagreements. A family’s level of conversation orientation and the interaction of conversation orientation and conformity orientation predicted change in relational closeness due to the argument and the perceived positivity level of predicted outcome value levels for future interaction with these family members. Additionally, level of conformity orientation predicted perceived relational harm from disagreements about social distancing.

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“…Many individuals found themselves grappling with uncertainties and changes in relational interdependence as work, family, and survival demands collided (Solomon et al, 2016). Contextual uncertainties (Monk & Ogolsky, 2019) regarding the pandemic such as inconsistent information about COVID-19 (e.g., prevention, symptom patterns) or ambiguous timelines regarding lock-down orders or COVID-19's presence in one's community (Hernandez & Colaner, 2021) intersected with relationship characteristics and elicited (or exacerbated existing) relational uncertainties and presented opportunities for relational disruptions (e.g., Hernandez & Colaner, 2021;Monk & Ogolsky, 2019). For instance, increased time together during lock-down amplified opportunities for partner interference, which corresponded with negative emotions (i.e., anger and sadness) and perceptions of the relationship as turbulent (Knoster et al, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

Introduction to the Special Issue on Family Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mikucki‐Enyart

Maguire

2021

Journal of Family Communication

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This introduction discusses the importance of researching how the COVID-19 has affected family relationships. Additionally, it introduces the articles in the special issue "Family Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic" and outlines directions for continued research examining the long-lasting consequences, positive and negative, of the COVID-19 pandemic.The COVID-19 pandemic has affected families around the world. As of May 2021, the coronavirus has spread to 192 countries and regions worldwide, with more than 155 million known infections and over 3.2 million deaths attributable to the disease (Johns Hopkins University, 2021). As a result, governments required cities, regions, and in some cases entire countries to "lock down" where only essential employees were allowed to go to work, leaving millions of families to figure out how to balance the competing economic and health demands associated with the disease while also facing physical isolation from extended family and support systems. Even as "lock downs" ease around the world, the effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting, as families attempt to adapt to the changes and cope with the uncertainty that may characterize life in the foreseeable future. Yet, families are resilient, and can emerge from such crises as strong, if not stronger than before, a process attributable to effective family communication. From parent-child relationships to intergenerational bonds, family ties and communication help individuals understand, cope, adapt to change, and foster resilience (Theiss, 2018).For this special issue of the Journal of Family Communication, we sought submissions that shed light on the communication issues that emerged, or became more salient, as a result of COVID-19. The articles provide a fascinating snapshot of pandemic life in the U.S. and around the world that address a variety of relationship types and phases in the family life cycle. The articles reveal not only the significant communication challenges and difficulties that families faced during the pandemic, but also how they used communication to cope with stress and build resiliency while also maintaining close relational ties with each other, despite the uncertainty, physical distancing, and forced proximity that characterized this unique period in time. COVID-19 and family relationshipsThe COVID-19 pandemic initiated seismic changes in daily life. Lock-down orders across the globe necessitated that individuals recalibrate how they interface with work, community, and relationships. This non-normative transition, which was initially thought to be temporary, has endured and transformed life in myriad ways. For instance, at the height of the pandemic, approximately 71% of U.S. employees were working from home (Pew Research Center, 2020) and wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distance had become a normal way of life. In addition to employment and public

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“This Is Not the Hill to Die on. Even if We Literally Could Die on This Hill”: Examining Communication Ecologies of Uncertainty and Family Communication About COVID-19

Cited by 29 publications

References 24 publications

Managing uncertainty: Lone parents' time horizons and agency in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Managing uncertainty: Lone parents' time horizons and agency in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Arguing about social distancing and family relationships

Introduction to the Special Issue on Family Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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