Survey Shows How Couples Cope During Lockdown

THURSDAY, June 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — As U.S. states issued stay-at-home orders in March and April, one of many questions was how couples would fare under lockdown together. Now a new survey offers an initial snapshot: some more arguments, regular declarations of love, and a good dose of same-old, same-old.

The survey included close to 2,300 U.S. adults who were living with their partner when the pandemic hit — forcing most to hunker down at home.

For some couples, the extra together time caused friction: One-quarter of respondents admitted to more arguments with their partner.

However, about as many claimed to be squabbling less than usual, while the remaining half were maintaining their status quo.

Many couples were holding steady when it came to sex, as well. Two-thirds of respondents said they were having sex with their partner at their normal frequency — which, on average, worked out to the awkward statistic of 2.5 times per week.

Some people — 16% — were having sex less often than their norm, but even more (28%) said their sex lives had heated up since lockdown.

Researchers said it’s no surprise that U.S. couples are having a range of experiences. Much depends on what their relationships were like before lockdown, and what their present circumstances are like — a cramped apartment versus a spacious home, or financial security versus insecurity.

“For couples who were already in a strained relationship, this probably created even more strain,” said lead researcher David Frederick, an associate professor of health psychology at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

And yes, he said, there’s a distinct possibility that strain will lead to breakups — as research into other traumatic events, like the 9/11 attacks, has found.

“A disaster or pandemic can push some couples to become more stressed and argue more, leading them to break up,” Frederick said. “It can also make them question if this is the relationship they want to spend their life in.”

Dr. Jacqueline Olds, a psychiatrist at McLean Hospital in Boston, agreed that some people have likely been rethinking their lives and plans for the future. In lockdown, she said, “you can’t distract yourself in the ways you used to.”