Depressive Symptoms and Conflict Behaviors: A Test of the Stress Generation Hypothesis in Romantic Couples during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction: In early 2020, North American jurisdictions required households (e.g., romantic couples) to isolate together to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This study provides a first look at the interplay of depressive symptoms and conflict behaviors among isolating couples, including tests of predictions of the stress generation hypothesis. Methods: Mixed-gender couples residing in Canada (N = 711) completed online measures across two waves. We used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model, with Wave 1 depressive symptoms as the predictor, Wave 1 conflict enactment as the mediator, and Wave 2 depressive symptoms as the outcome. Results: Depressive symptoms showed stability across Wave 1 and 2. Wave 1 depressive symptoms showed associations with Wave 1 conflict enactment. For men (but not women), Wave 1 conflict enactment was associated with their own and their partner's Wave 2 depressive symptoms. For both partners, Wave 1 conflict enacted by men mediated the association between Wave 1 depressive symptoms and Wave 2 depressive symptoms. Discussion: Our study confirms and extends the stress generation hypothesis to the pandemic context, showing that depressive symptoms may partially contribute to conflict for isolating couples and that conflict behaviors enacted by men toward their partner can exacerbate depressive symptoms in both partners.

The effects of excessive and compulsive online searching of COVID-19 information (“cyberchondria”) on general and COVID-19-specific anxiety and fear in romantic couples during lockdown

IntroductionCyberchondria involves excessive and uncontrollable online searching of information about a perceived illness. This behavior can cause or maintain distress.ObjectivesLittle is known about cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic or how cyberchondria in one individual may cause distress in their significant other if they are self-isolating together;our study sought to fill these gaps.MethodsWe conducted a Qualtrics Panel survey with 760 cohabitating Canadian couples;in June 2020, participants retrospectively reported on their cyberchondria behavior, general anxiety, and COVID-19 fears during the month of April 2020, while adhering to stay-at-home advisories. Two separate actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) used cyberchondria excessiveness and compulsion to predict generalized anxiety and COVID-19 danger/contamination fears in the actor and partner.ResultsBoth cyberchondria excessiveness and compulsion were associated with higher general anxiety and higher COVID-19 danger/contamination fears in the individual (actor effects). Partner cyberchondria compulsion was associated with higher general anxiety in the individual whereas partner cyberchondria excessiveness was associated with higher COVID-19 danger/contamination fears in the individual (partner effects).ConclusionsFindings suggest that excessive and uncontrollable searching of information about COVID-19 on the internet during lockdown may contribute to distress in both the individual engaging in the cyberchondria behavior, and in their romantic partner. Moreover, different aspects of cyberchondria in the partner (compulsion vs. excessiveness) appears to contribute to general vs. COVID-19-specific anxiety/fears in the partner, respectively. Future research should examine mechanisms underlying the observed partner effects (e.g., co-rumination, social contagion) and reasons for the differential partner effects of cyberchondria components.