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So one of the things I have been wondering about is whether there will be "haves" and "have-nots," socially, over the course of the pandemic. In other words, will some people actually feel *more* socially connected during social distancing?
Let& #39;s look at the data.
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Let& #39;s look at the data.
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Generally, many people in our study who are in romantic relationships are pretty happy in those relationships. But there are also a fair number who aren& #39;t.
Among those who are not very happy in their relationships to begin with, it& #39;s very possible they will end up being pretty miserable as this pandemic goes on.
First, let& #39;s examine those in our sample on the higher end of satisfaction (score of 6 or 7) compared to those who score a 5 or below. Do they feel more or less connected to their partner since the pandemic began? We see a fairly normal distribution in answers.
The majority of them are feeling depressed. Generally (i.e., in non-COVID times) we see strong links between marital dissatisfaction and depression, but still, this graph is pretty striking.
What about those in happy relationships? Are they feeling more or less connected to their partners or about the same?
Whoa!
Whoa!
Nearly 50% feel *more* connected to their romantic partner since the pandemic began. This reminds me of @EliJFinkel’s All-or-Nothing Marriage idea, in which the really best relationships thrive, given the right circumstances.
We& #39;ve see a surge in divorce rates in China the last several weeks. As our data suggest, it& #39;s probable that couples in China who were already having problems before the pandemic went downhill fast when forced to spend a lot of time together. https://thehill.com/homenews/news/490564-divorces-skyrocket-in-china-amid-lockdown">https://thehill.com/homenews/...
This is also in line with Karney and @ProfBradbury& #39;s Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model of marriage. When couples are under a tremendous amount of stress, those couples who already have difficulty communicating (or other relationship problems) will be especially at risk.
I think what will be most interesting is whether the greater social connection of generally happy couples continues in the weeks to come. That would be good news for a lot of couples out there.
(data from #loveinthtimeofcovid study w/ @zoppolat and @RhondaBalzarini)
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(data from #loveinthtimeofcovid study w/ @zoppolat and @RhondaBalzarini)
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