Conflict as a social phenomenon has an important role in our lives, which is why it is so important to understand this phenomenon. That involves recognizing the mechanisms of emergence, development, methods of study and their resolution. The practice of social work and previous treatments with spouses shows that the marital relationship as an interpersonal relationship represents the specific basis for the emergence of conflicts. The obtained results are part of a study on the characteristics of marital relations and their influence on the choice of the spouses' patterns of behavior during conflict situations. The results suggest that the choice of different strategies of behavior in a situation of conflict among our respondents mainly depends on: the degree of insistence in fulfillment of personal interests, and the level of cooperation in addressing the interests of others. As a dominant style in marital conflict resolution our respondents use the avoiding style. During the study, gender differences between spouses, how they perceive, understand, and resolve marriage conflicts were found. Women are more critical toward their abilities to resolve conflict. In such situations they often use negative behavior, compared to men who are more likely to deny or avoid situations of conflict. Marriages where violence in involved are mainly based in destructive patterns of behavior in marital conflict resolution. UDC Classification: 316.6, DOI: http://dx

In this paper the authors present the psychological consequences of social isolation on domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the legal framework in the RNM on addressing the phenomenon of domestic violence. In this age of globalization and drive for material conformity, family life is quite difficult to cope with. This “war” for material comfort during the pandemic, has strained and stressed many families as a result of the created circumstances. Public safety measures, including physical distance and social isolation, which have also been implemented in the RNM have contributed in making family problems even more pronounced. Social distance and staying at home are very effective in reducing the transmission of Covid-19 virus, but these safeguards disrupt the routines of spouses and families. Domestic violence affects a large number of families, and it is estimated that in times of social isolation, all forms of violence have been inflicted against family members regardless of their gender and age. The most common forms of domestic violence during Covid-19 pandemic in our country are psychological, physical and economic violence. Some countries affected by Covid-19 have seen increases in levels of domestic violence, including violence against children, violence against partners, and violence against the elderly. This paper presents the results of research conducted which highlight the fact that during the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in levels of domestic violence in the Republic of North Macedonia in the first six months of 2020. The authors give their recommendations on the need for action by state institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to adapt methods and circumstances towards the protection of victims of domestic violence.

Couple relations are characterized as relations of an intimate nature dominated by constant interaction or strong interdependence and mutual influence of intense feelings between spouses. In marriages where there is conflict, there are typical examples of interaction, which result in high proportion of negative communicative acts that affect the quality of marital relationships such as: loss of confidence, the emergence of frustration, feelings of anxiety, discomfort, leading to escalation of marital conflicts. Communication as a variable has a large impact on the resolution of marital conflicts. The obtained results of our research indicate that the choice of different strategies of behavior in conflict situations among our respondents primarily depend on: the degree of persistence in the pursuit of its own interests and level of cooperation in addressing the interests of others.In accordance with the model of behavior in conflict situations, spouses also chose the styles for resolving them. Spouses who perceive (consider) rights by their spouses, failure to fulfill the emotional needs (lack of love, care, attention, understanding).But, the duration of the marital relationship as a dimension does not affect the use of certain styles for resolving marital conflicts among our respondents.