Relationship Status and Well-Being in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to examine well-being, loneliness, and hope among single and partnered adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 560 adults in the U.S. (50.2% female, 48.9% male, 28.7% single, 71.3% partnered) completed an online survey regarding their experiences amid the global health crisis. Results indicated that single and partnered individuals reported similar experiences of loneliness, hope, and well-being. Furthermore, hope served as a significant positive predictor of psychological well-being for both single and partnered individuals. Single and partnered individuals also engaged in a similar number of social interactions during the pandemic. The nature of these interactions (i.e., in-person vs. digital), however, uniquely predicted well-being across relationship status. Among single individuals, connecting with others in person significantly predicted well-being, whereas digital connections did not. The inverse was found for partnered individuals, where digital connections predicted well-being, but in-person interactions did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Issues is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)