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Relationships are often plagued by everyday frustrations like stress at work or financial anxiety, but how do couples cope with such an unprecedented challenge as the COVID-19 pandemic? People who blamed their stress on the pandemic more than on their partner were happier in their relationship, according to a new study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science reports.
Previous research has shown that romantic partners tend to be more critical of each other when experiencing common stress, but major events like natural disasters aren’t always associated with poor relationship functioning. Because these important stressors are more visible than routine situations, people may be more aware that stress is affecting them.
“Because of this awareness, when major stressors arise, dating partners may be less likely to blame each other for their problems and more likely to blame the stressor, which can reduce the damaging effects of stress. about the relationship, ”says Lisa Neff, an associate professor of human development and family science at the University of Texas at Austin and one of the study’s co-authors.
The COVID-19 pandemic, with its widespread impact, presents a unique context for testing this concept. Researchers analyzed data collected from 191 participants in the first weeks of the pandemic and again seven months later, examining whether blaming the pandemic for problems could reduce the extent of stress affecting their relationship, known as stress overflow.
“As expected, people generally blamed the pandemic more for their current problems than they blamed their romantic partner,” Neff said, noting that this trend came with significant relationship benefits. “Individuals who blamed the pandemic more were more resistant to the damaging effects of stress. “
Participants completed a questionnaire assessing how much they blamed the pandemic for their problems. This was followed by a 14-day daily survey, which focused on their daily life stressors, relationship satisfaction, and reports of negative behavior they exhibited towards their partner.
While blaming the pandemic may reduce the damaging effects of stress on a relationship, it does not eliminate them. If couples are aware of the impact stress has on their relationship but the stressful circumstances are beyond their ability to cope, the relationship can suffer. Yet research demonstrates the importance of recognizing that stress can color the way partners perceive their relationship and interact with each other.
“When couples are aware that stress can impact their relationship, it’s easier for couples to blame their problems on each other and on the stressor,” says Neff. “It can help partners support each other more effectively and ultimately better cope with these difficult times. “
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Social Psychological and Personality Science (SPPS) is an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), the Association for Research in Personality (ARP), the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP). Social Psychological and Personality Science publishes short, innovative and rigorous reports of empirical research on the latest advances in personality and social psychology.
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