In the same storm but not the same boat: Intimate relationship changes across the pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The current study asked U.S.-based participants to describe how the pandemic had changed their relationship with their intimate partner during the initial lockdown in March–May 2020, and then again in February–March 2021. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major stressor for couples and families. Method: The study includes 592 partnered individuals drawn from a larger study evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on life at home. Participants were 84.5% women, and 89.8% were White. Responses were coded by a four-person team using a pragmatic coding approach with good reliability. Results: Codes were grouped together into five categories: stated emotion words, positive changes, negative changes, changes described with mixed emotional descriptors by different participants, and changes in parenting (that did not always have a specific valence). At Time 1, 52% of respondents noted positive changes and 60% of respondents described negative changes. At Time 3, 68% indicated positive changes and 65% indicated negative changes. Conclusion: Findings suggest great variability in experiences that couples and families have had over the past few years. Implications: This combination of open-ended inquiry and longitudinal study offers a unique perspective on the effects of the pandemic on family life.