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

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 usi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2022-03, Vol.17 (3), p.e0264511-e0264511
Main Authors: Vigl, Julia, Strauss, Hannah, Talamini, Francesca, Zentner, Marcel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Analysis
Anxiety - epidemiology
Anxiety - psychology
Austria
Biology and Life Sciences
Coping
Coronaviruses
Couples
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions
Epidemics
Family Characteristics
Female
Geography
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Personal Satisfaction
Personality - physiology
Psychological aspects
Psychology
Questions
Research and Analysis Methods
Restrictions
SARS-CoV-2 - physiology
Sexual Partners
Social aspects
Social Sciences
Socioeconomic Factors
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264511