Frontline love: Romantic partners of frontline doctors and nurses during the New York City COVID‐19 outbreak

Abstract

Objective: This qualitative study's aim was to learn how the spouses and romantic partners of frontline doctors and nurses dealt with the acute stress of the outbreak; the kinds of support they provided when the frontliners had to navigate COVID-19 at their hospitals; and, according to their perceptions, how this crisis impacted their relationship. Background: This study focused on the partners of frontliners working in hospitals during the crisis of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City (NYC)-one of the earliest epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This study expanded upon the Family Stress Model-which examines how economic problems can affect marital quality and stability. Method: Interviews were conducted with 29 partners of frontliners who had been treating COVID-19 patients in NYC hospitals during the pandemic outbreak from February 29 to June 1, 2020. Partners were recruited via snowball sampling, interviewed via Zoom or telephone, and results were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: The following themes were found in the narratives: The burden of running the home independently; providing various kinds of support (concrete, emotional, and refraining from sexual and physical closeness); and the effects of the pandemic on the relationship via writing a will and discussing the possibility of death, the lack of relationship-ending threats, and emerging from the crisis with a strengthened relationship. Conclusion:The pandemic crisis unified the partners and frontliners, even in the face of multiple stressors.

“Exceptionally challenging time for all of us”: Qualitative study of the COVID-19 experiences of partners of diplomatic personnel

“…Others reported the financial burden of flying back and forth to the UK every school holiday in order to care for boarding school children. Our finding that partners took on more childcare responsibilities due to their diplomatic spouses having increased workloads echoed findings from partners of other frontline workers during the pandemic: for example, partners of healthcare workers have reported that their partners' increased workload meant that they had to take on more of the domestic responsibilities that were previously shared [45,46].…”

Mating in Captivity: The Influence of Social Location on Sexual Satisfaction through Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In addition to gender differences, we expect changes in subjective sexual well-being to vary in relation to several other social location factors. Economic problems can affect marital quality and stability (Siegel and Dekel 2022), and job precarity has been pervasive because of rapidly shifting economic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Rao 2020). Labor force participation in the United States fell more severely for women than for men (Collins et al 2021), and gender equity spanning work, home life, and parenting has deteriorated (Lyttelton et al 2022; Ruppanner et al 2021; Yavorsky et al 2021).…”

The influence of economic pressure, emotional distress, and spousal warmth on distress during the covid-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study from midlife to older adulthood

“…A warm partner may serve as a system of support by communicating feelings, remaining positive, and facing issues together which may help alleviate burdens stemming from a stressful situation (Chakraborty et al, 2021). Having a loving, supportive partner may help to keep a positive perspective during times of crisis that could even lead to a stronger bond within the marriage (Chakraborty et al, 2021;Siegel & Dekel, 2022).…”