Understanding relationship satisfaction during COVID‐19: Assessing unstable work experiences and negative communication

Abstract The coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic resulted in economic concerns and disruptions in daily life for many families, which may amplify relational strains and create new tensions between romantic partners. Economic stressors may be particularly salient to later relationship quality in the context of more negative relationship functioning. This study investigated dyadic trajectories of relationship satisfaction in 116 different‐sex couples over a 6‐month period during the pandemic. We explored the impact of unstable work experiences on later relationship satisfaction, and if this effect was exacerbated by higher levels of negative communication. Men and women had different initial levels of relationship satisfaction, but indistinguishable rates of change in satisfaction. For men, reports of unstable work experiences early in the pandemic were positively associated with declines in relationship satisfaction, but this was not the case for women. The consequential impact of unstable work experiences did not differ based on levels of negative communication, nor was negative communication early in the pandemic related to either partner's change in satisfaction over time. We conclude by highlighting the importance of accounting for the context in which relationships develop.