A COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event that affected both the physical and mental well-being of people. It has created a unique climate for examining the links between stressors and relationships.
Previous studies showed that stressors originating from outside the relationship, like work stress and financial uncertainty, often undermine the quality of relationships.
However, a new study reveals that attributing problems to stressors could leave couples happy and more resilient. Full findings of the study, entitled Blame the Pandemic: Buffering the Association Between Stress and Relationship Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic, are published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Relationships Ending During the Pandemic
Cooped up in their homes during the lockdown, people around the world have felt the strain on their relationships. Juggling childcare, chores, work, and worrying about health, finances, and the global COVID-19 crisis.
According to BBC News, the number of couples seeking relationship counseling has surged during the lockdown. Family counselors said that since the lockdown there has been a noticeable shift in which from having individual clients to having couples as their clients.
Psychotherapists as well noted that after an initial dip in the first few weeks of the pandemic, they have been receiving a flood of requests from couples. Usually, their main concern is about the new division of labor in the house, like taking care of the children while trying to work.
A survey last year in April showed that a quarter of people felt that lockdown had placed additional pressure on their relationships. Many of the couples complain that their partners grew more irritating, wherein women tend to report more than men.
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How to Save Relationships During the Pandemic?
Work stress, financial problems, and everyday stressors could undermine the quality of relationships. But the recent study suggests that blaming the pandemic could save relationships during lockdowns.
"Because of this awareness, when major stressors occur, romantic partners may be less likely to blame each other for their problems and more likely to blame the stressor, which may reduce the harmful effects of stress on the relationship," Health Day quoted study co-author Lisa Neff, an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
She and her team analyzed the data taken during the early weeks of the pandemic and again seven months later. The data was taken from the surveys about the degree to which they blame the pandemic and any negative behavior exhibited by their partner.
Their study suggests that many people blamed the pandemic and not their partner for their problems. It turns out this has a big benefit for their relationships. Neff said that those who blame the pandemic more for their problems tend to be more resilient to the harmful effects of stress.
The findings underscore the importance of recognizing stressors and how they could affect relationships. However, they noted that blaming the pandemic does not mean it could eliminate problems within the relationship. Rather, the pandemic could add to the couple's problems.
But being aware of the stressor could mean that they could shift their blame for their problems away from each other, which could help partners support each other more and be more successful in surviving these difficult times.
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