“Be free together rather than confined together”: a qualitative exploration of how relationships changed in the early COVID-19 pandemic
“Be free together rather than confined together”: a qualitative exploration of how relationships changed in the early COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many couples are staying at home together for an extended period. This is likely to impact couples as they navigate their responsibilities while maintaining a healthy relationship during uncertain times. We conducted qualitative research to investigate participants’ perception on how relationships changed considering COVID-19 and social distancing measures. Data were collected through open-ended surveys (n = 200) which were completed weekly for 5 weeks and by semi-structured interviews (n = 48). Overall, 28.6% of relationships had gotten better, 28.6% worse, 29.9% stayed the same, and 8.0% were mixed. Both methods highlighted similar themes (communication, space, togetherness, sharing responsibilities, quality time, and support networks) including 15 sub-themes in the interviews. The study provides a unique insight into the impact of COVID-19 on relationships and provides techniques that have been identified by couples to increase relationship satisfaction for their own and others’ relationships.
COVID-19, close relationships, relationship change, relationship satisfaction
2921-2943
Vowels, Laura, Marika
c30dc6eb-4a98-4534-b784-499c2d291c5f
Francois-Walcott, Rachel
0d0708f7-a047-4219-a27d-b30ede74fa56
Perks, Rhia
dd33ffbe-e5ee-4425-809f-bd58fcecc96d
Carnelley, Katherine
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
1 October 2021
Vowels, Laura, Marika
c30dc6eb-4a98-4534-b784-499c2d291c5f
Francois-Walcott, Rachel
0d0708f7-a047-4219-a27d-b30ede74fa56
Perks, Rhia
dd33ffbe-e5ee-4425-809f-bd58fcecc96d
Carnelley, Katherine
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Vowels, Laura, Marika, Francois-Walcott, Rachel, Perks, Rhia and Carnelley, Katherine
(2021)
“Be free together rather than confined together”: a qualitative exploration of how relationships changed in the early COVID-19 pandemic.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38 (10), .
(doi:10.1177/02654075211041412).
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many couples are staying at home together for an extended period. This is likely to impact couples as they navigate their responsibilities while maintaining a healthy relationship during uncertain times. We conducted qualitative research to investigate participants’ perception on how relationships changed considering COVID-19 and social distancing measures. Data were collected through open-ended surveys (n = 200) which were completed weekly for 5 weeks and by semi-structured interviews (n = 48). Overall, 28.6% of relationships had gotten better, 28.6% worse, 29.9% stayed the same, and 8.0% were mixed. Both methods highlighted similar themes (communication, space, togetherness, sharing responsibilities, quality time, and support networks) including 15 sub-themes in the interviews. The study provides a unique insight into the impact of COVID-19 on relationships and provides techniques that have been identified by couples to increase relationship satisfaction for their own and others’ relationships.
Text
210803Relationship_Satisfaction_JSPR
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 4 August 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 25 September 2021
Published date: 1 October 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research was supported by the first author’s Jubilee Scholarship, University of Southampton.
Keywords:
COVID-19, close relationships, relationship change, relationship satisfaction
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 450889
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/450889
ISSN: 0265-4075
PURE UUID: 51329aec-af1f-440c-8f1f-eb47a1086d97
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 18 Aug 2021 16:33
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:46
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Laura, Marika Vowels
Author:
Rachel Francois-Walcott
Author:
Rhia Perks
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics