Family typology among Mexican families after the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact, profoundly altering household composition, income levels, and economic support structures.

Explore the changes in family typology after the COVID-19 pandemic among Mexican families affiliated with a Family Medicine Unit (FMU) in Tampico, Tamaulipas.

An analytical, comparative, and exploratory study. A total of 73 families attended FMU No. 38 were included. Family typology was determined before and 4 years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data collected included identification, and sociodemographic variables. Family typology was determined based on the Mexican Consensus of Family Medicine and Life Cycle stage was classified according to Huerta. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive analysis of quantitative variables was conducted using measures of central tendency and standard deviation (SD), qualitative variables were described using frequencies and percentages. Comparisons between variables were performed using the Chi-square (χ²) test.

The mean age was 38.52 ± 12.77 years in the pre-pandemic period. Pre-pandemic marital status was predominantly married (57.5%), followed by single (32.9). An increase in the proportion of divorced and widowed individuals was observed in the post-pandemic period (6.8% and 2.7%, respectively). Statistically significant differences were identified in the post-pandemic period, including a decrease in the proportion of employees (from 78.1% to 65.8%). The proportion of nuclear families decreased (from 39.7% to 11.9%), while non-integrated nucleus increased (8.2% to 19.7% P = 0.029).

The findings of this study confirm the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the structure and dynamics of Mexican families, in labor, economic and family organization aspects.