Longitudinal anxiety in couples during a global pandemic: Considering loss, attachment behaviors, and trauma coping...

The COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) pandemic has had a significant impact on multiple domains of daily functioning in communities, families, and couples. Research on couple dynamics amid mass stress events using dyadic data is still limited. As such, the current study employed a cross-lagged panel design with 535 cisgender, heterosexual couples to explore longitudinal paths between pandemic-related loss, attachment behaviors, trauma coping self-efficacy, and anxiety symptoms. Data were collected at three time points between April and October 2020. The findings demonstrated the potentially mobilizing nature of loss. Higher levels of loss associated with higher levels of attachment behaviors in partners later and higher levels of trauma coping self-efficacy for men in a partner effect at one lag. Higher levels of attachment behaviors generally associated with improved trauma coping self-efficacy at the next wave within and across partners, and higher levels of trauma coping self-efficacy appeared to offset later anxiety within partners. On the other hand, within partners, greater loss is associated with lower levels of attachment behaviors within partners across time. Furthermore, higher anxiety is associated with lower levels of TCSE and higher levels of loss within partners across most lags. Finally, higher trauma coping self-efficacy is associated with less loss within men at one lag, and greater loss within men at the later lag, which may demonstrate stress and efforts to mobilize to meet it. Indirect effects were found implying the intermediary nature of anxiety and trauma coping self-efficacy in explaining wave 3 anxiety. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.