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.

Parenting through a pandemic: Mental health and substance use consequences of mandated homeschooling

The declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic led to the closures of schools worldwide to contain disease spread. In the present study, we examine the effects of this mandated homeschooling on parents’ mental health and substance use. In a study of 758 couples, 211 of whom were homeschooling, we contrasted homeschooling effects on general mental health (anxiety and depression) and on COVID-specific mental health (socioeconomic and traumatic stress), and on optimism. We also examined effects on coping-related use of alcohol and cannabis. Actor–partner interdependence model results demonstrated negative impacts of mandatory homeschooling;there were significantly lower levels of optimism and greater use of cannabis to cope and marginally higher use of alcohol to cope in couples who were versus were not homeschooling. These levels were higher than prepandemic norms. We then explored the parenting dynamic through actor and partner effects. Among homeschooling families, more time spent homeschooling was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-specific socioeconomic and traumatic stress in the homeschooling parent;for the homeschooler’s partner, there was significantly increased alcohol use to cope and marginally increased traumatic stress. These findings highlight the need for the design and delivery of educational and mental health supports for parents during mandatory homeschooling required for COVID-19 and other pandemics—so that parents can best support their families through these uncertain times. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) © 2021 American Psychological Association

Self-isolation: A significant contributor to cannabis use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Emerging research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in self-reported isolation and loneliness in a large proportion of the population. This is particularly concerning given that isolation and loneliness are associated with increased cannabis use, as well as using cannabis to cope with negative affect. Objective: We investigated whether self-isolation due to COVID-19 and using cannabis to cope with depression were unique and/or interactive predictors of cannabis use during the pandemic, after controlling for pre-pandemic levels of cannabis use. Method: A sample of 70 emerging adults (mean age = 23.03; 34.3% male) who used both alcohol and cannabis pre-pandemic completed measures of cannabis use (i.e., quantity x frequency) and a novel COVID-19 questionnaire between March 23 and June 15, 2020. Pre-pandemic cannabis use levels had been collected four months earlier. Results: Linear regressions indicated self-isolation and coping with depression motives for cannabis use during the pandemic were significant predictors of pandemic cannabis use levels after accounting for pre-pandemic use levels. There was no interaction between coping with depression motives and self-isolation on cannabis use during the pandemic. Conclusions: Those who engaged in self-isolation were found to use 20% more cannabis during the pandemic than those who did not. Our results suggest that self-isolation is a unique risk factor for escalating cannabis use levels during the pandemic. Thus, self-isolation may inadvertently lead to adverse public health consequences in the form of increased cannabis use.