External stressors can erode relationship quality, though little is known about what can mitigate these effects. We examined whether COVID-related stressors were associated with lower relationship quality, and whether perceived partner responsiveness—the extent to which people believe their partner understands, validates, and cares for them—buffers these effects. When people in relationships reported more COVID-related stressors they reported poorer relationship quality at the onset of the pandemic (N = 3,593 from 57 countries) and over the subsequent 3 months (N = 1,125). At the onset of the pandemic, most associations were buffered by perceived partner responsiveness, such that people who perceived their partners to be low in responsiveness reported poorer relationship quality when they experienced COVID-related stressors, but these associations were reduced among people who perceived their partners to be highly responsive. In some cases, these associations were buffered over the ensuing weeks of the pandemic.
AikenL. S.WestS. G.RenoR. R. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. SAGE.
2.
BaumeisterR. F.LearyM. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.
3.
BennettD. A. (2001). How can I deal with missing data in my study?Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25, 464–469.
4.
BerinskyA. J.MargolisM. F.SancesM. W. (2014). Separating the shirkers from the workers? Making sure respondents pay attention on self-administered surveys. American Journal of Political Science, 58, 739–753.
5.
BirnbaumG. E.ReisH. T.MizrahiM.Kanat-MaymonY.SassO.Granovski-MilnerC. (2016). Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111, 530–546.
6.
BodenmannG. (1997). The influence of stress and coping on close relationships: A two year longitudinal study. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 56, 156–164.
7.
BolgerN.DavisA.RafaeliE. (2003). Diary methods: Capturing life as it is lived. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 579–616.
8.
BolgerN.DeLongisA.KesslerR. C.WethingtonE. (1989). The contagion of stress across multiple roles. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 175–183.
9.
BuckA. A.NeffL. A. (2012). Stress spillover in early marriage: The role of self-regulatory depletion. Journal of Family Psychology, 26, 698–708.
10.
BraikerH. B.KelleyH. H. (1979). Conflict in the development of close relationships. In BurgessR. L.HustonT. L. (Eds.), Social exchange in developing relationships (pp. 135–168). Academic Press.
11.
BrooksS. K.WebsterR. K.SmithL. E.WoodlandL.WesselyS.GreenbergN.RubinG. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395, 912–920.
12.
CaprarielloP. A.ReisH. T. (2011). Perceived partner responsiveness minimizes defensive reactions to failure. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2, 365–372.
ClarkM. S.LemayJ. E. P. (2010). Close relationships. In FiskeS. T.GilbertD. T.LindzeyG. (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2, 5th ed., pp. 898–940). John Wiley & Sons.
15.
CohanC. L.ColeS. W. (2002). Life course transitions and natural disaster: Marriage, birth, and divorce following Hurricane Hugo. Journal of Family Psychology, 16, 14–25.
16.
CohenS.WillsT. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357.
17.
ColinaS.MarroneN.IngramM.SanchezD. (2017). Translation quality assessment in health research: A functionalist alternative to back-translation. Evaluation & the Health Professions, 40, 267–293.
18.
CollinsN. L.FeeneyB. C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1053–1073.
19.
CongerR. D.RueterM. A.ElderG. H. (1999). Couple resilience to economic pressure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 54–71.
CrastaD.RoggeR. D.ManiaciM. R.ReisH. T. (2021). Toward an optimized measure of perceived partner responsiveness: Development and validation of the Perceived Responsiveness and Insensitivity Scale. Psychological Assessment, 33, 338–355.
22.
CurranP. G. (2016). Methods for the detection of carelessly invalid responses in survey data. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 66, 4—19.
23.
ErdfelderE.FaulF.BuchnerA. (1996). GPOWER: A general power analysis program. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 28, 1–11.
24.
ErvastiH.VenetoklisT. (2010). Unemployment and subjective well-being: An empirical test of deprivation theory, incentive paradigm and financial strain approach. Acta Sociologica, 53, 119–138.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.BuchnerA.LangA. G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G∗Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1149–1160.
27.
FletcherG. J. O.SimpsonJ. A.ThomasG. (2000). The measurement of perceived relationship quality components: A confirmatory factor analytic approach. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 340–354.
28.
FloraJ.SegrinC. (2000). Relationship development in dating couples: Implications for relational and personal well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17, 811–825.
29.
GableS. L.ReisH. T.ImpettE. A.AsherE. R. (2004). What do you do when things go right? The intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits of sharing positive events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 228–245.
30.
GangopadhyayaA.GarrettB. (2020). Unemployment, health insurance, and the COVID19 recession. Urban Institute.
31.
GritzE. R.WellischD. K.SiauJ.WangH. (1990). Long-term effects of testicular cancer on marital relationships. Psychosomatics, 31, 301–312.
32.
HawkleyL. C.BrowneM. W.CacioppoJ. T. (2005). How can I connect with thee? Let me count the ways. Psychological Science, 16, 798–804.
33.
Holt-LunstadJ.SmithT. B.LaytonJ. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLOS Medicine, 7, 1–20.
34.
HughesM. E.WaiteL. J.HawkleyL. C.CacioppoJ. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26, 655–672.
35.
JohnsonD.MullinsL. (1989). Religiosity and loneliness among the elderly. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 8, 110–131.
36.
KarneyB. R.BradburyT. N. (1995). The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, methods, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 3–34.
37.
KarneyB. R.StoryL. B.BradburyT. N. (2005). Marriages in context: Interactions between chronic and acute stress among newlyweds. In RevensonT. A.KayserK.BodenmannG. (Eds.), Couples coping with stress: Emerging perspectives on dyadic coping (pp. 13—32). American Psychological Association Press.
38.
KerrM. L.RasmussenH. F.FanningK. A.BraatenS. M. (2021). Parenting during COVID-19: A study of parents’ experiences across gender and income levels. Family Relations, 70, 1327–1342.
KooJ. R.CookA. R.ParkM. (2020). Interventions to mitigate early spread of COVID-19 in Singapore: A modelling study. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20, 678–688.
42.
KurdekL. A. (1999). The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality for husbands and wives over the first 10 years of marriage. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1283–1296.
43.
LaurenceauJ. P.BarrettL. F.PietromonacoP. R. (1998). Intimacy as an interpersonal process: The importance of self-disclosure, partner disclosure, and perceived partner responsiveness in interpersonal exchanges. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1238–1251.
44.
LaurenceauJ. P.BarrettL. F.RovineM. J. (2005). The interpersonal process model of intimacy in marriage: A daily-diary and multilevel modeling approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 314–323.
45.
LehmanD. R.LangE. L.WortmanC. B.SorensonS. B. (1989). Long-term effects of sudden bereavement: Marital and parent-child relationships and children’s reactions. Journal of Family Psychology, 2, 344–367.
46.
LewnardJ. A.LoN. C. (2020). Scientific and ethical basis for social-distancing interventions against COVID-19. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20, 631–633.
47.
MaiselN. C.GableS. L.StrachmanA. (2008). Responsive behaviors in good times and in bad. Personal Relationships, 15, 317–338.
48.
ManneS.BadrH. (2008). Intimacy and relationship processes in couples’ psychosocial adaptation to cancer. Cancer, 112, 2541–2555.
49.
ManneS.KashyD. A.ZaiderT.LeeD.KimI. Y.HeckmanC.PenedoF.KissaneD.VirtueS. M. (2018). Interpersonal processes and intimacy among men with localized prostate cancer and their partners. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 664–675.
50.
ManneS.OstroffJ.RiniC.FoxK.GoldsteinL.GranaG. (2004). The interpersonal process model of intimacy: The role of self-disclosure, partner disclosure, and partner responsiveness in interactions between breast cancer patients and their partners. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 589–599.
51.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. Guilford Press.
52.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2013). The role of attachment security in adolescent and adult close relationships. In SimpsonJ. A.CampbellL. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of close relationships (pp. 66–89). Oxford University Press.
53.
MueserK. T.GlynnS. M. (1999). Behavioral Family Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders. 2. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
54.
NeffL. A.KarneyB. R. (2004). How does context affect intimate relationships? Linking external stress and cognitive processes within marriage. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 134–148.
55.
NeffL. A.KarneyB. R. (2017). Acknowledging the elephant in the room: How stressful environmental contexts shape relationship dynamics. Current Opinions in Psychology, 13, 107–110.
56.
OganM. A.MonkJ. K.KanterJ. B.ProulxC. M. (2021). Stress, dyadic coping, and relationship instability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38, 2944–2964.
PearlinL. I.LiebermanM. A.MenaghanE. G.MullanJ. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 337–356.
59.
RandallA. K.BodenmannG. (2009). The role of stress on close relationships and marital satisfaction. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 105–115.
60.
ReisH. T. (2012). Perceived partner responsiveness as an organizing theme for the study of relationships and well-being. In CampbellL.LovingT. J. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary research on close relationships: The case for integration (pp. 27–52). American Psychological Association.
61.
ReisH. T.ClarkM. S. (2013). Responsiveness. In SimpsonJ. A.CampbellL. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of close relationships (pp. 400–423). Oxford University Press.
62.
ReisH. T.ClarkM. S.HolmesJ. G. (2004). Perceived partner responsiveness as an organizing construct in the study of intimacy and closeness. In MashekD. J.AronA. P. (Eds.), Handbook of closeness and intimacy (pp. 201–225). Erlbaum Publishers.
63.
ReisH. T.LemayE. P.FinkenauerC. (2017). Toward understanding: The importance of feeling understood in relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 11, 1–22.
64.
RepettiR. L. (1989). Effects of daily workload on subsequent behavior during marital interaction: The roles of social withdrawal and spouse support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 651–659.
65.
RepettiR.WangS.SaxbeD. (2009). Bringing it all back home: How outside stressors shape families’ everyday lives. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 106–111.
66.
RusbultC. E.MartzJ. M.AgnewC. R. (1998). The investment model scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357–387.
67.
OkechukwuC. A.El AyadiA. M.TamersS. L.SabbathE. L.BerkmanL. (2012). Household food insufficiency, financial strain, work-family spillover, and depressive symptoms in the working class: The Work, Family, and Health Network study. American Journal of Public Health, 102, 126–133.
68.
SchulzM. S.CowanP. A.CowanC. P.BrennanR. T. (2004). Coming home upset: Gender, marital satisfaction, and the daily spillover of workday experience into couples interactions. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 250–263.
69.
SegalN.FraleyR. C. (2016). Broadening the investment model: An intensive longitudinal study on attachment and perceived partner responsiveness in commitment dynamics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33, 581–599.
70.
SegrinC.PowellH.GivertzM.BrackinA. (2003). Depression, relational quality, and loneliness in dating relationships. Personal Relationships, 10, 25–36.
71.
SelcukE.ZayasV.HazanC. (2010). Beyond satisfaction: The role of attachment in marital functioning. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2, 258–279.
72.
SimpsonJ. A.RholesW. S.NelliganJ. S. (1992). Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety provoking situation: The role of attachment styles. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 434–446.
73.
SlatcherR. B.SchoebiD. (2017). Protective processes underlying the links between marital quality and physical health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 148–152.
74.
SlatcherR. B.SelcukE. (2017). A social psychological perspective on the links between close relationships and health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26, 16–21.
75.
StoryL. B.BradburyT. N. (2004). Understanding marriage and stress: Essential questions and challenges. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1139–1162.
76.
TesserA.BeachS. R. H. (1998). Life events, relationship quality, and depression: An investigation of judgment discontinuity in vivo. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 36–52.
77.
TyupaS. (2011). A theoretical framework for back-translation as a quality assessment tool. New Voices in Translation Studies, 7, 35–46.
WilliamsonH. C. (2021). Early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on relationship satisfaction and attributions. Psychological Science, 31, 1479–1487.
80.
WilliamsonH. C.KarneyB. R.BradburyT. N. (2013). Financial strain and stressful events predict newlyweds’ negative communication independent of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 27, 65–75.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
