Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries

Ashley K. Randall, Gabriel Leon, Emanuele Basili, Tamás Martos, Michael Boiger, Michela Baldi, Lauren Hocker, Kai Kline, Alessio Masturzi, Richmond Aryeetey, Eran Bar-Kalifa, Susan D. Boon, Luis Botella, Tom Burke, Katherine B. Carnelley, Alan Carr, Arobindu Dash, Mimi Fitriana, Stanley O. Gaines, Sarah GaldioloClaire M. Hart, Susanna Joo, Barani Kanth, Evangelos Karademas, Gery Karantzas, Selina A. Landolt, Louise McHugh, Anne Milek, Eddie Murphy, Jean C. Natividade, Alda Portugal, Álvaro Quiñones, Ana Paula Relvas, Pingkan C.B. Rumondor, Petruta Rusu, Viola Sallay, Luis Angel Saul, David P. Schmitt, Laura Sels, Sultan Shujja, Laura K. Taylor, S. Burcu Ozguluk, Leslie Verhofstadt, Gyesook Yoo, Martina Zemp, Silvia Donato, Casey J. Totenhagen, Rahel L. van Eickels, Adnan Adil, Emmanuel Anongeba Anaba, Emmanuel Asampong, Sarah Beauchemin-Roy, Anna Berry, Audrey Brassard, Susan Chesterman, Lizzie Ferguson, Gabriela Fonseca, Justine Gaugue, Marie Geonet, Neele Hermesch, Rahmattullah Khan Abdul Wahab Khan, Laura Knox, Marie France Lafontaine, Nicholas Lawless, Amanda Londero-Santos, Sofia Major, Tiago A. Marot, Ellie Mullins, Pauldy C.J. Otermans, Ariela F. Pagani, Miriam Parise, Roksana Parvin, Mallika De, Katherine Péloquin, Bárbara Rebelo, Francesca Righetti, Daniel Romano, Sara Salavati, Steven Samrock, Mary Serea, Chua Bee Seok, Luciana Sotero, Owen Stafford, Christoforos Thomadakis, Cigdem Topcu-Uzer, Carla Ugarte, Wah Yun Low, Petra Simon-Zámbori, Ching Sin Siau, Diana Sînziana Duca, Cornelia Filip, Hayoung Park, Sinead Wearen, Guy Bodenmann, Claudia Chiarolanza

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distress associated with the “new normal”—social distancing, financial hardships, and increased responsibilities while working from home. Given the interpersonal nature of stress and coping responses between romantic partners, based on the systemic transactional model this study posits that perceived partner dyadic coping may be an important moderator between experiences of COVID-19 psychological distress and relationship quality. To examine these associations, self-report data from 14,020 people across 27 countries were collected during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July, 2020). It was hypothesized that higher symptoms of psychological distress would be reported post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 restrictions (Hypothesis 1), reports of post-COVID-19 psychological distress would be negatively associated with relationship quality (Hypothesis 2), and perceived partner DC would moderate these associations (Hypothesis 3). While hypotheses were generally supported, results also showed interesting between-country variability. Limitations and future directions are presented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3-33
Number of pages31
JournalJournal of Social and Personal Relationships
Volume39
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • distress
  • dyadic coping
  • multination
  • relationship quality

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