About this session

Thursday, 11:50 AM - 1:20 PM

Using Pandemic Research to Uncover Processes of Family Stress and Resilience Amid Crisis

Contextual stress is associated with the well-being of children indirectly through family relationships. Based on several cross-international and inter-institutional studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, this symposium will elucidate the processes of family stress and resilience for families under crisis. The first talk, based on a systematic review of 47 studies, provides a theoretical overview and empirical support for the COVID-19 Family Disruption Model, and highlights the dearth of research on marital and sibling subsystems in developmental science and pandemic research. Then, the following three presentations will examine family systems processes (stress/protective effects, spillover, homeostasis) during the pandemic using diverse family constellations and methodologies. Specifically, the second talk presents findings from a brief, couple intervention for young families during the pandemic, providing evidence of cascading effects from couples’ relationship functioning to coparenting (i.e., how couples child-rear together). The third talk presents a 16-wave longitudinal study of the impact of pandemic stress on parent mental health, highlighting family cohesion as a protective factor. The final talk uses a multinational longitudinal study to explore reciprocal relations between marital conflict and sibling challenges. By drawing on the entire family system, these four talks complement one another to provide a window into families during crisis. We discuss the applicability of pandemic research to broader theories of family stress and resilience, with direct implications for preparing for, and mitigating against, future widespread adversities and challenges.

Paper #1
Title	Resilience in the face of adversity: A systematic review exploring family adaptation amid COVID-19
Presenting author	Gillian Shoychet, York University, Canada

Paper #2
Title	Can a brief couples intervention support coparenting during times of stress? Findings from L2P2 program
Presenting author	Jazzmin Demy, York University, Canada

Paper #3
Title	Family cohesion and parental mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 16-wave longitudinal study
Presenting author	Carolyn Albright, Pennsylvania State University, United States

Paper #4
Title	Examining stable and dynamic longitudinal family processes linking marital and sibling challenges during COVID-19
Presenting author	Oana Bucsea, York University, Canada

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Session chairs
Jazzmin Demy, York University, Canada; Gillian Shoychet, , Canada

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