Changes in Relationship Quality in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations with Pandemic Stressors and Couple Communication

Martin, Laura; Giff, Sarah T.; Ribeiro, Sissi; Jia, Zihao; Renshaw, Keith D.

doi:10.1080/01926187.2022.2073293

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…For a minority of participants, increased quality time with partners facilitated improved communication, increased intimacy, and HIV status disclosure. These bene ts have not been widely reported in the existing literature, which has primarily focused on the ways in which the pandemic has jeopardized relationship quality and stability, 41,42 nor have they been discussed among sub-populations at heighted risk for negative COVID-19 outcomes. In some cases, COVID-19 may have offered couples the opportunity to join together against an external threat, 41 especially if partners were locked down together.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I am scared, I do not want to lie”: Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa

Stanton

Blyler

Mosery

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background COVID-19 and efforts to manage widespread infection may compromise HIV care engagement. The COVID-19-related factors linked to reduced HIV engagement have not been assessed among postpartum women with HIV, who are at heightened risk of attrition under non-pandemic circumstances. To mitigate the effects of the pandemic on care engagement and to prepare for future public health crises, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 has impacted (1) engagement in care and (2) factors that may act as barriers to care engagement. Methods A quantitative assessment of COVID-19-related experiences was added to a longitudinal cohort study assessing predictors of postpartum attrition from HIV care among women in South Africa. Participants (N = 266) completed the assessment at 6, 12, 18, or 24 months postpartum between June and November of 2020. Those who endorsed one or more challenge related to engagement in care (making or keeping HIV care appointments, procuring HIV medications, procuring contraception, and/or accessing immunization services for infants; n = 55) were invited to complete a brief qualitative interview, which explored the specific factors driving these challenges, as well as other impacts of COVID-19 on care engagement. Within this subset, 53 participants completed an interview; qualitative data were analyzed via rapid analysis. Results Participants described key challenges that reduced their engagement in HIV care and identified four other domains of COVID-19-related impacts: physical health, mental health, relationship with a partner or with the father of the baby, and motherhood/caring for the new baby. Within these domains, specific themes and subthemes emerged, with some positive impacts of COVID-19 also reported (e.g., increased quality time, improved communication with partner, HIV disclosure). Coping strategies for COVID-19-related challenges (e.g., acceptance, spirituality, distraction) were also discussed. Conclusions About one in five participants reported challenges accessing HIV care, medications, or services, and they faced complex, multilayered barriers to remaining engaged. Physical health, mental health, relationships with partners, and ability to care for their infant were also affected. Given the dynamic nature of the pandemic and general uncertainty about its course, ongoing assessment of pandemic-related challenges among postpartum women is needed to avoid HIV care disruptions and to support wellbeing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I am scared, I do not want to lie”: Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa

Stanton

Blyler

Mosery

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, people who used more emotion-focused (i.e., being affectionate and intimate with the partner) and problemfocused dyadic coping (i.e., jointly discussing and finding ways to deal with an issue) reported higher relationship satisfaction and felt more secure over three weeks during the pandemic [47]. Likewise, having communal strategies to cope with the pandemic [48,49] and more supportive partner communication [50] buffered the negative association between pandemic-related stress and relationship functioning, and partners who helped each other during the pandemic experienced increases in relationship satisfaction over time [51]. In contrast, having more conflicts with the partner about the pandemic was related to less frequent sexual activity [52].…”

Section: Sharing Concerns During the Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As sharing concerns with the partner was beneficial for relationship functioning during the pandemic [44,51] and helped people cope with some of its negative consequences [46][47][48][49][50], we expected the effects of regulatory focus on relationship quality, sexual quality, and joint sexual activity to be moderated by shared concerns over the pandemic (H4). Specifically, we expected the negative effects of being more (vs. less) focused on prevention to be alleviated by sharing more (vs. fewer) concerns with their partner (H4a).…”

Section: Current Study and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship and Sexual Quality in the Wake of COVID-19: Effects of Individual Regulatory Focus and Shared Concerns over the Pandemic

Rodrigues

Balzarini

2023

EJIHPE

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Research has shown mixed findings regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on relationship and sexual quality and activity. We argue that some of these findings might be understood considering people’s predisposition to maintain safety (i.e., prevention focus) or take risks (i.e., promotion focus), and sharing concerns with one’s partner about the pandemic. A longitudinal study (N = 153) tested if regulatory focus before the pandemic (November 2019) was associated with relationship quality, sexual quality, and joint sexual activity later on (June 2020) and whether these effects were moderated by shared concerns over the pandemic. Results showed that participants more focused on prevention experienced higher relationship quality later on, but also less sexual quality and less frequent joint sexual activity, when they shared fewer (vs. more) concerns with their partner. In contrast, participants more focused on promotion experienced higher relationship quality later on when they shared more (vs. less) concerns with their partner. These results indicate how individuals’ regulatory focus and shared concerns in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have downstream consequences on people’s relational and sexual dynamics. We offer insights for mental health professionals to improve psychosocial health and well-being when people are faced with critical events.

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Dyadic examination of parents' general psychological distress and coparenting in families with young children: The mediating role of couple satisfaction

Güre,

Gürmen,

Acar

2024

J Marital Family Therapy

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The current research explored the dyadic relationships between general psychological distress (GPD) and coparenting dimensions (cooperation, conflict, triangulation) through the mediation of couple satisfaction among parents with young children. The sample comprised 184 heterosexual couples (184 mothers, 184 fathers, age range from 25 to 57 years) married for 10 years on average. The actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) and APIM Mediation Model analyses demonstrated significant relationships between mothers' and fathers' GPD and all three of their own coparenting dimensions (direct actor effects), also through their own couple satisfaction (indirect actor–actor effects). Additionally, mothers' GPD had direct effects on fathers' coparenting cooperation (partner effect). Fathers' GPD had significant indirect effects on all dimensions of mothers' coparenting through mothers' couple satisfaction (partner–actor effects), plus on mothers' coparenting triangulation through fathers' couple satisfaction (actor–partner effect). Findings were in line with Family System Theory and consistent with prior research. Clinical implications were discussed.

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Changes in Relationship Quality in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations with Pandemic Stressors and Couple Communication

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

“I am scared, I do not want to lie”: Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa

“I am scared, I do not want to lie”: Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa

Relationship and Sexual Quality in the Wake of COVID-19: Effects of Individual Regulatory Focus and Shared Concerns over the Pandemic

Dyadic examination of parents' general psychological distress and coparenting in families with young children: The mediating role of couple satisfaction

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