Changing living arrangements and family conflict in lockdown

Evandrou, Maria, Falkingham, Jane, Vlachantoni, Athina and Qin, Min (2020) Changing living arrangements and family conflict in lockdown (Centre for Policy Change Policy Briefings, 58) Southampton. University of Southampton 4pp.

Abstract

On 23 March 2020, the UK went into lockdown to attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus. School and university closures, the move to remote working, furlough or the loss of employment have all meant that many adult children who had previously left the parental home have returned. Other individuals have moved to provide care and support for a family member or friend who has been ‘shielding’. Conversely, some vulnerable and/or older people have moved in with a younger relative or friend. For many families this has been an unexpected change; placing pressure on them to move into close quarters, spending more time together than ever before while adjusting to a change in circumstances and financial resources. The study uses recently available data from five large scale nationally representative surveys to explore the impact of recent changes in living arrangements due to the coronavirus pandemic. The findings provide strong evidence that people whose living arrangements have changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic are more likely to report increased stress and family conflict than those whose living arrangements have not changed. This has important implications for public health and wider policy as prolonged periods of stress can lead to serious health problems. This policy briefing provides an overview of the key findings of a SocArXiv article available at https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/kv8dg

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Contributors

Author: Maria Evandrou

Author: Jane Falkingham

Author: Athina Vlachantoni

Author: Min Qin

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