ABSTRACT
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.
ABSTRACT
Romantic conflict is known to have escalated during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research investigates whether a single-session online writing intervention results in changes in romantic conflict among American adults cohabitating during COVID-19 quarantine (May 2020). Participants (N = 716, 50% female;mean age = 51.8 years) completed a baseline assessment which was followed by a brief (5–8 min) writing task in Qualtrics. Participants were randomized to one of five conditions, where they were asked to write about (a) a conflict with their romantic partner using cognitive reappraisal;(b) a conflict with their romantic partner expressing their deepest thoughts and feelings;(c) a conflict with someone other than their partner using cognitive reappraisal;(d) a conflict with someone other than their partner and a conflict with their partner expressing their deepest thoughts and feelings;or (e) mundane tasks like laundry, house cleaning, or lawn care. In the reappraisal conditions, participants were asked to use this perspective with the target person in the upcoming weeks. Two weeks later, participants were invited to complete a follow-up survey identical to baseline, where they were asked about conflict with their partner during the follow-up period. Results indicated that participants in the romantic partner cognitive reappraisal condition reported fewer disagreements, fewer relationship aggression events, and lower levels of conflict relentlessness with their partner relative to at least one of the control conditions. Results demonstrate preliminary support for a brief, cost-effective, and accessible tool that can help couples mitigate downstream effects of negative interactions during this stressful time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) © 2021 American Psychological Association
ABSTRACT
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
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the people of Canada. Most have found it challenging to cope with social distancing, isolation, anxiety about infection, financial security and the future, and balancing demands of work and home life. For some, especially those who have had to face pre-existing challenges such as structural racism, poverty, and discrimination and those with prior mental health problems, the pandemic has been a major impact. The Policy Briefing Report focuses on the current situation, how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significant long-standing weaknesses in the mental health system and makes specific recommendations to meet these challenges to improve the well-being of the people of Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on mental health of people in Canada but the impact has been variable, impacting those facing pre-existing structural inequities hardest. Those living in poverty, and in some socially stratified groups facing greater economic and social disadvantage, such as some racialized and some Indigenous groups and those with preexisting mental health problems, have suffered the most. Some occupational groups have been more exposed to the virus and to psychological stress with the pandemic. The mental health care system was already overextended and under resourced. The pandemic has exacerbated the problems. The care system responded by a massive move to virtual care. The future challenge is for Canada to strengthen our knowledge base in mental health, to learn from the pandemic, and to provide all in Canada the support they need to fully participate in and contribute to Canada’s recovery from the pandemic. © 2020 Asmundson et al.
ABSTRACT
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.