The Double-Edged Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Family Relationships

Abstract

To comprehensively understand the Chinese family relationships (i.e., marital relationship, parent–child relationship, sibling relationship, and grandparent–grandchild relationship) during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated the changes of family relationships and the individual differences related to knowledge of the COVID-19, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and optimism), and emotional characteristics (i.e., emotion regulation and negative emotional reactions). From March 1 to April 5, 2020, 8821 participants were involved, including 3995 teenagers, 1146 unmarried young adults, 3571 married adults, and 109 grandparents. Results revealed a double-edged pattern that people experienced both positive changes and negative changes during the pandemic. Teenagers reported significant negative changes in the relationships with their parents. Peoples’ knowledge of the COVID-19, neuroticism, optimism, emotion regulation, and negative emotional reactions were in varying extents to which accounted for the individual differences in the changes of family relationships. These findings help recognize the overall Chinese family relationships during the hard period.