COVID-19: A Transcultural Study about the Effects of a Global Stressor on Couples

Pandemic COVID-19 represents a health massive and worldwide crisis. Medicine and biology are in the frontline to cope with the new global challenges caused by this disease. Besides these, politicians, epidemiologists, engineers and other professionals may contribute in an important way. Psychologists also have an important contribute to describe appropriate ways to cope with this pandemic.

COVID-19 as a stressor implies many changes in individual’s life, specifically at a personal (e.g., panic, depression), familiar (e.g., separation from extended family, impact on couples’ daily life), professional (e.g., teleworking, stay home to take care of children) and social (e.g., social distance, quarantine) level.

The present action plan, carried out in Portugal and other countries (e.g., Correia do Sul, EUA, Itália) aims to identify and describe how COVID-19 as a stressor acts in couple relationship, specifically in their satisfaction and adjustment. For this purpose, a survey (the same in all countries involved in the study) will be used to collect couple’s perception.

Through this international research, we intend to draw up a portrait of COVID-19 effects on marital relationships. This will make it possible to devise international guidelines to promote and prevent mental well-being and quality of life to face future pandemic and crisis situations.

 

Ana Paula Pais Rodrigues da Fonseca Relvas is a Psychologist, Family Therapist, PhD in Clinical Psychology,  Full Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of the Coimbra. Research interests and teaching activity: family psychology studies and family intervention research (systems approach). So, the family is studied in relation with different contexts and interfaces, such as health/illness conditions, community context, therapeutic context, school context. These interests shows up in the coordination of courses (e.g. Interuniversitary Doctoral Program in Family Psychology and Family Intervention) and in her publications.

Relevant Links

https://www.uc.pt/fpce

https://ces.uc.pt

A survey link is in preparation. It is expected to be operational at April 6.

 

Keywords

Covid19, Stressor, Couples, Marital satisfaction, Marital adjustment, Dyadic Coping, Family psychology.

Associated Users

Location

Data collection will take place in Portugal Mainland and Islands/Azores & Madeira. Simultaneously, data collection will take place in a variety of countries around the world.

Entities

Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra, Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade da Madeira, Universidade dos Açores, Arizona State University, University of Alabama, Deakin University, Ghent University, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, University of Calgary, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa, South China Agricultural University University of Maryland – College Park, University of Münster, University of Ghana, University of Crete , University of Szeged, Pondicherry University, Bina Nusantara University, Univeristy College Dublin, Hormozgan University,Sapienza – University of Rome, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Milan, University of Nairobi, University Malaysia, University of Sultan Idris, University of Amsterdam, University of Sargodha, University of Suceava, Kyung Hee University, Yonsei University, University of Zurich, Middle East Technical University, University of Arizona, Brunel University London, University of Southampton

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