Does love laugh at locksmiths? Partnership quality during the lockdown in Italy, France and Spain. Some descriptive findings

Abstract

This study contributes to the growing strand of research on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The home confinement imposed as part of nationwide movement restrictions in many countries represents an exceptional setting for the study of intimate relationships. Did the lockdown reduce partnership quality? In this study, we present some descriptive findings based on a online survey conducted during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Italy and Spain. Around 12% of those interviewed in the three countries reported that their relationship with their partner had worsened during the lockdown and about 2.5% intended to split up. In addition, we show that negative emotions – such as feeling lonely – and deterioration of income/work conditions are associated with a worsening of partnership quality. In all, we suggest that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are not only economic; couples and intimate relationships have been vulnerable, too.