It’s not us, it’s COVID: Individual and relational stress among Latine couples early in the pandemic.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered life in the United States, especially for ethnic and racial minority communities who are disproportionately affected by the virus. In this descriptive study, we sought to understand how mixed-gender Latine couples in the U.S. are functioning both dyadically and individually, in addition to identifying aspects of their unique experience during the early stages of the pandemic. We administered an online survey to 146 participants (67 mixed-sex dyads and 12 individual partners), already enrolled in a longitudinal study on marital functioning, in which at least one partner self-identified as Latine. Results from the study revealed couples overwhelmingly reported positive relationship functioning, although individual stress and negative affect were both elevated, suggesting that individual—but not relational—distress is prevalent among Latine couples during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend that clinicians working with Latine couples focus on helping them adapt to COVID-related stressors rather than addressing novel relationship problems and to approach their relationships as fundamentally protective. This study lays important groundwork for how Latine couples are experiencing the pandemic and demonstrates profound resilience against the potentially negative impacts of stress on relationships.

Gender-based Violence (GBV) on Bangladeshi Women and Girls during COVID-19 in Toronto: Forms, Causes, and Mental Health Impacts

“…Women were left trapped with their abusers and isolated from social contact and support networks, exacerbating the situation [32,33,41]. This trend is not limited to South Asian families but extends to other ethnic families [42][43][44][45]. Furthermore, gender inequality, patriarchal social norms, stress, and financial crisis have all played a role in increasing domestic violence during COVID-19 [31,46,47].…”

Did they stay or did they go? Following up on intimate relationship outcomes 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…On the other hand, the previous research also shows that in the face of adversity and challenge, some couples get closer and thrive (e.g., Marshall & Kuijer, 2017; see Prime et al, 2020). Some evidence from early in the pandemic shows that despite the overall strain, some relationships across international contexts have maintained their strength and partners have continued to support each other in effective ways (e.g., Balzarini et al, 2023; Fivecoat et al, 2024).…”

Deviations in stress and support: Associations with parenting emotions across the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…Previous research has also found that Mexican American women’s emotional well-being and life satisfaction are nurtured by their supportive family relationships (Diaz & Bui, 2017). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, research with majority Latine couples in Arizona showed that most people felt close to their partner, supported, and satisfied in their relationships (Fivecoat et al, 2022). Importantly, for economically vulnerable and majority Latine families, increases in support from partners across the pandemic have been associated with higher levels of parenting engagement in child-focused activities and caregiving (He et al, 2021).…”