COVID-19 distress and interdependence of daily emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, and loneliness in cohabiting couples

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has had a profound impact on relationship functioning, though effects have been heterogeneous. Reasons for divergent effects on relationship functioning remain unclear. Theoretical models suggest that it is not just stress exposure that leads to adverse relationships outcomes, but also subjective response to these stressors. Using data from a 14-day intensive longitudinal study of romantic dyads, we hypothesized that COVID-19-related distress would adversely impact one's own and one's partner's report of relationship functioning, on average. Interdependence at the between-couple and within-couple level was also examined.

Methods: Participants were 104 female-male romantic couples cohabiting the New York metropolitan area (M_age = 28.86, SD_age = 7.69) between August 2020 - April 2021. Couples reported COVID-19 distress during a baseline interview and daily relationship functioning for 14 days. Multilevel models were specified for six outcomes simultaneously: female and male partner daily physical intimacy, emotional intimacy, and loneliness. Interrelationships of the intercepts of the six outcomes were specified, reflecting between-couple associations of each partner's stable outcome tendencies. Interrelationships of the daily residuals of the six outcomes were also specified, reflecting within-couple associations at the daily level.

Results: Female partner COVID-19 distress was inversely associated with her own emotional and physical intimacy and positively associated with her own and her partner's loneliness. Male COVID-19 distress was associated with his own loneliness only. There was significant interdependence at the between- and within-couple level, such that greater loneliness in either partner was associated with less intimacy in each member of the couple.

Discussion: Only one partner effect for COVID-19 distress emerged, such that female partner distress was associated with male partner loneliness; however, interdependence at the between- and within-couple level suggested that distress may adversely impact relational well-being over time. Future studies should examine reciprocal relationships between COVID-19-related distress and relationship functioning.

Keywords: COVID-19; couples; daily diary methods; interdependence; intimacy; loneliness; relationship functioning.

Figure 1.

Path diagram of the statistical model. Rectangles represent measured variables such as intimacy reports on a particular day. Ovals represent random intercepts, that is, between-person time-invariant latent variables, as well as within-person, day-level terms. These include serially correlated residuals, denoted by r, and non-serially correlated residuals, denoted by e, which are allowed to correlate between partners within dyads each day. Panel A shows the intercept-only model for only one outcome (emotional intimacy in female and male partners) with three days of data. There is a random intercept, defined by the daily measures of emotional intimacy. Errors exhibit serial autocorrelation within each person, and errors are allowed to correlate between partners each day. In the full model, baseline measures of psychological distress due to COVID-19 in female and male partners are included as predictors of each day’s emotional intimacy. Panel B shows correlations between random intercepts for all six outcome variables. Note that each random intercept is defined by 14 days of daily data, an expanded version of the model in Panel A. Panel C shows correlations between residuals for all six outcome variables for a given day, an expanded version of the model in Panel A.