Role of Covid-19 Stress in Shaping Unhealthy Relationship with Spouse and Child: Mediated by Religious Coping Strategies

The COVID-19 may result in unhealthy family relationships due to stress, making it crucial to consider ways to improve this situation. This study aimed to present a model of the role of Coronavirus stress in shaping unhealthy relationships with a spouse and child, mediated by religious coping strategies. The research method used was descriptive and path analysis. The statistical population included all married individuals in Iran in 2021, and 608 people were selected using voluntary sampling. The data was gathered using the Corona Stress Scale (CSS-18), Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE), Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ), and Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation and path analysis, as well as SPSS-26, AMOS-23, and the Hayes’ PROCESS macro. The results showed that Covid-19 stress and religious coping strategies can explain the quality of interaction with a spouse and the quality of parent-child interaction. Furthermore, Covid-19 stress can predict religious coping strategies. The indirect effects showed that Covid-19 stress, through negative religious coping strategies, has an effect of 6.9% on the quality of interaction with a spouse and 7.7% on the quality of parent-child interaction. Additionally, Covid-19 stress, through positive religious coping strategies, has an effect of 12.6% on the quality of interaction with a spouse and 6.1% on the quality of parent-child interaction. According to the findings of this study, Covid-19 stress can lead to the formation of unhealthy relationships with a spouse and children, but the use of religious coping strategies can mitigate the effect of Covid-19 stress.