RESUMEN
This study examined attachment style and its relationship with sexual self-esteem during COVID-19 confinement. COVID-19 has caused changes in the way couples interact intimately and sexually around the world; some have found improvements and others an increase in difficulties. This article uses a retrospective pre post approach to evaluate 120 men and 89 women who were part of a couple at the time of confinement in Spain and completed an online survey. The sample was obtained during the de-escalation months, from May 9th until July 1st, 2020. Through an online survey we collected the data using the Spanish version of the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR-S) to measure attachment and the Brief Sexuality Scale (SS) to measure aspects related to the participants sexuality (sexual self-esteem, sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation), as well as a scale designed post hoc on other aspects related to sexuality. Overall, the t-test results suggest that confinement had a negative effect on sexuality because sexual depression (SD) had a small increased in our sample. Multiple regression analysis showed that FSI, and ANXS attachment style were able to predict sexual depression during confinement. The results also showed a decrease in the strength of the relationship between sexual self-esteem (SSE) and attachment styles during confinement. However, sexual preoccupation (SP) and sexual self-esteem (SSE) remained relatively stable. Based on the results obtained, we conclude that there is an association between an increase in participants' sexual depression and being confined due to COVID-19.
RESUMEN
This study examined dyadic adjustment, which is an essential aspect for a couple's functioning, and its relationship with sexual self-esteem during COVID-19 confinement. This article presents data from before and during the confinement due to COVID-19 in Spain. 120 men and 89 women who were part of a couple at the time of confinement and completed an online survey participated in the study. The sample was obtained during the de-escalation months, from May 9th until July 1st, 2020. Three questionnaires were administered. The results that were obtained from the T-student, Pearson correlations and regression analyses show a decline in couples' adjustment during the months of confinement. Regarding the Sexuality Scale, the results showed that the sexual-depression subscale and the sexual self-esteem subscale had a statistically significant role in predicting the dyadic adjustment during confinement. Overall, our findings suggest that confinement had a negative effect on sexuality because the sexual-depression of the sample increased and couple adjustment decreased during the confinement due to COVID-19.
RESUMEN
During the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, we explored the individual and relational well-being of people confined together with their partners and/or children during the first 3 weeks of state-regulated lockdown. Adults 18 years or older (N = 407) completed an online survey that included demographic, household, and employment information along with standardized measures of psychological distress (State-Trait Anxiety and Beck Depression) and relationship functioning-either the Dyadic Adjustment Scale if there were no children in the household or a Basic Family Relations Evaluation Questionnaire (CERFB) measuring conjugal, parental, and coparental functions. Qualitative analyses of responses to an open-ended question about perceived changes in couple or family dynamics during lockdown revealed nine specific themes comprising two overarching categories: relational improvement and deterioration. The overall prevalence of improvement themes (61.7%) exceeded deterioration themes (41.0%), with increased (re)connection and conflict atmosphere cited most often. Quantitative analyses found elevated levels of state anxiety but not trait anxiety or depression during lockdown. Consistent with the qualitative results, couples having no children at home reported high levels of dyadic adjustment, but with children present CERFB parental functioning exceeded conjugal functioning, a pattern sometimes associated with child triangulation into adult conflicts. Although correlates of psychological distress (e.g., unemployment, perceived economic risk) were relatively stable across subgroups, predictors of relationship functioning varied substantially with household/parental status (e.g., telecommuting and employment facilitated conjugal functioning only for couples with children).
Durante el reciente brote de la COVID-19 en España, analizamos el bienestar individual y relacional de las personas confinadas con sus parejas o hijos durante las primeras tres semanas de confinamiento regulado por el estado. Un grupo de adultos mayores de 18 años (N=407) completó una encuesta con datos demográficos, información sobre la vivienda y el empleo, evaluaciones estandarizadas de distrés psicológico (ansiedad-rasgo y ansiedad-estado, depresión de Beck) y funcionamiento familiar (la Escala de ajuste diádico si no había niños en la vivienda o un Cuestionario básico de evaluación de las relaciones familiares (CERFB) que miden las funciones conyugales, parentales y coparentales. Los análisis cualitativos de las respuestas a una pregunta abierta acerca de los cambios percibidos en la dinámica de pareja o familiar durante el confinamiento revelaron nueve temas específicos que comprenden dos categorías dominantes: la mejora y el deterioro relacional. La prevalencia general de los temas de mejora (61.7 %) excedió los temas de deterioro (41.0 %), y se mencionó con más frecuencia una mayor (re)conexión y un ambiente de conflicto. Los análisis cuantitativos indicaron niveles elevados de ansiedad-estado pero no de ansiedad-rasgo ni de depresión durante el confinamiento. De acuerdo con los resultados cualitativos, las parejas que no tienen hijos en la casa informaron niveles altos de ajuste diádico, pero con los niños presentes, el funcionamiento parental del CERFB excedió el funcionamiento conyugal, un patrón asociado a veces con la triangulación de los niños en los conflictos de los adultos. Aunque las relaciones de distrés psicológico (p. ej.: desempleo, riesgo económico percibido) fueron relativamente estables entre los subgrupos, los predictores del funcionamiento relacional variaron considerablemente con la situación habitacional/parental (p. ej: el teletrabajo y el empleo facilitaron el funcionamiento conyugal solo en el caso de las parejas con niños).