Relationship satisfaction in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-national examination of situational, dispositional, and relationship factors

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on various aspects of life, but questions about its effects on close relationships remain largely unanswered. In the present study, we examined perceived changes in relationship satisfaction at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by using an international sample of 3,243 individuals from 67 different countries, mostly from Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In April and May 2020, participants responded to an online survey that included questions about relationship satisfaction, their satisfaction before the pandemic, other relationship aspects (e.g., shared time), special circumstances (e.g., mobility restrictions), and enduring dispositions (e.g., insecure attachment). A decline in time shared with one’s partner was most strongly associated with perceived decreases in relationship satisfaction, resulting in a different pattern of findings for cohabiting and non-cohabiting individuals. Among the most influential moderators were anxious and avoidant attachment. The findings offer insights into both aggravating and protecting factors in couples’ responses to pandemic-related stressors.

Dynamic associations between stress and relationship functioning in the wake of COVID-19: Longitudinal data from the German family panel (pairfam)

“…We found that, on average, individuals reported lower relationship satisfaction, lower appreciation, and lower intimacy during COVID-19, as compared with pre-COVID levels. This is in line with a large cross-national study (data from 68 countries) reporting a general decline in relationship satisfaction using retrospective ratings for pre-pandemic levels ( Vigl et al, 2022 ). In contrast, relationship conflict did not significantly change over time.…”

“…Furthermore, we focused on individuals who cohabit with their partner and our findings might not generalize to non-cohabiting couples. Findings from Vigl et al (2022) emphasize that the pandemic might have differentially impacted partners depending on their living situation, showing that relationship satisfaction showed greater decreases for non-cohabiting, as compared with cohabiting partners, and that joint activities and physical intimacy increased and time for oneself decreased for cohabiting partners, whereas non-cohabiting individuals showed the reverse pattern. Utilizing bivariate latent change score models, we were able to examine coupled associations of study outcomes measured prior to the pandemic with later change in these outcomes.…”

“…Out of 1549 adults who completed the COVID-19 survey in May–July 2020 and lived with their romantic partner, 1526 individuals also provided data at the 11th wave which was collected in 2018 and 2019 ( M time between surveys = 15.74 months, SD = 2.47). In this article, we focus on cohabiting couples because the pandemic might have posed unique and qualitatively distinct challenges to partners who do or do not live together ( Vigl et al, 2022 ). In particular, partner influences might have been heightened in a situation when lockdown measures confined partners to the same living quarters, increasing time spent together.…”

Supportive, Delegated, and Common Dyadic Coping Mediates the Association between Adult Attachment Representation and Relationship Satisfaction: A Dyadic Approach

“…Relationship satisfaction was positively associated with secure attachment and negatively with avoidant attachment for males and females, but ambivalent attachment was linked to low satisfaction only for females [46]. Preoccupied attachment had stronger negative effects on perceived relationship quality for females than other attachment patterns [47]. In other studies, men who are high in avoidance and men and women who are high in anxiety reported lower relationship quality [48], but secure attachment was only positively linked with male satisfaction [45,49].…”

Unraveling the effect of ambivalence over emotional expression on subjective wellbeing in Chinese college students in romantic relationships: A multiple mediation model

“…Besides, a decreasing trend could also be seen in college students’ experience of romantic relationships during the COVID-19 period due to the lockdown policy which reduced the amount of time staying together ( 13 ), with Vigl and colleagues attributing this to limited time staying together under lockdown policy for non-cohabiting couples (college students). Moreover, under such stressful circumstances, positive emotions and expression of feelings might have a beneficial effect on individuals’ attitudes toward their partners, which are highly correlated with their romantic experience and subjective wellbeing ( 14 , 15 ).…”