Forced Cohabitation during Coronavirus Lockdown in Italy: A Study on Coping, Stress and Emotions among Different Family Patterns

Abstract

Background: At the beginning of 2020, a pandemic caused by a new strain of coronavirus occurred. On March 9th, the Italian population was forced to lockdown to prevent the spread of this new virus. This event forced families and cohabitants to spend their entire days and weeks in the same physical space, interacting with partners and children with a very different degree of intimacy than in the earlier situation. The present study investigated the effects of being forced to live together on different family patterns, on various dimensions such as stress, coping strategies, time perception and quality evaluation of cohabitation. Method: A total sample consisting of 1750 individuals was recruited through a random sample of probability across the Italian country. Due to the lockdown condition, an online questionnaire was set up; several validated scales were chosen, and some open-ended items were included for the thoughts of the participants. Results: The results showed statistically significant differences between the three family patterns examined. Conclusion: During the forced period of living together, a positive effect could be inferred as given by the presence of children and the collaborative coping strategies that have been adopted; the results have been discussed according to the literature on the topic.