Risk of infection, financial uncertainty and changes in routines – all of these upended families around the world during the pandemic. Stressors rose when multiple family members were diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection.
Ericka Waidley, assistant professor of nursing, and colleagues at Yangzhou University in China, interviewed 21 patients from nine different families, who recovered from COVID-19 together. The study, recently published in an American Psychological Association journal, found that the coping mechanisms of families interviewed revolved around three themes: belief systems, family organizational patterns and communication.
Researchers found that family members experienced an emotional transformation, eventually seeing the infection as a collective challenge. Shared family beliefs were strengthened, sometimes through rituals, to navigate through the negative emotions. Families also found support through their familial structures, leaning on relatives and friends for encouragement and problem-solving. Finally, participants emphasized the role of open communication in strengthening relationships.
The article, “Family Resilience in a Crisis: A Qualitative Study of Family Resilience in Multimember Infected Families in the Context of COVID-19,” is in the August 2023 issue of “Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.”
