Strengthening couple functioning promotes resilience to COVID-19-related stressors among Black Americans.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial hardship for Black Americans, leading to increased stress and mental health difficulties. We used longitudinal data from the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) intervention study to test the hypothesis that improved couple functioning following ProSAAF participation would serve as a constructed resilience resource during the pandemic, buffering the impact of elevated pandemic-related stressors on change in depressive symptoms. We found that COVID-19-related stress predicted change in depressive symptoms from prepandemic to during the pandemic, that ProSAAF predicted improved couple functioning, and that positive change in couple functioning buffered the impact of pandemic stressors on change in depressive symptoms. These effects resulted in a significant indirect buffering effect of ProSAAF on the association between COVID-19-related stress and change in depressive symptoms through its effects on change in couple functioning. The results suggest that relationship intervention may increase resilience to unanticipated community-wide stress and promote mental health.

Exploring the Role of Family Resilience in Predicting Marital Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Furthermore, the pandemic and post-pandemic era has provided a unique context to explore family resilience, with studies demonstrating the occurrence of resilience in families in the wake of the pandemic (Barton et al, 2023). The pandemic has also underscored the role of couple functioning in promoting resilience, particularly in buffering the impact of elevated stressors on mental health outcomes (Beach et al, 2023). Additionally, research has explored resilience in same-sex couples, highlighting the importance of understanding resilience mechanisms in diverse family structures (Power et al, 2010).…”

Enhancing Interpersonal Communication in Couples With Special Needs Children: An Examination of Behavioral Couple Therapy Interventions

“…[20]. Beach stated that reinforcement in the form of interventions for couples is still a problem in efforts to repair and solve problems [21]. Couples therapy is one of the interventions that was found to be able to overcome family problems due to the covid pandemic [22].…”