Examination of the effect of the perceived stress in the coronavirus-19 pandemic on marital adjustment, sexual life and intimate partner violence

Aims: The aim of the study was to explore the effects of perceived stress during the pandemic on marital adjustment, sexual life and intimate partner violence. Design: A cross-sectional design was employed in this study. Methods: The data were collected with an online survey between October and December 2020 from 901 participants in Turkey. Participants completed the Descriptive Information Form, the Marital Adjustment Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale. Multivariate analysis of variance and moderation analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The pre-pandemic marital adjustment scores of the participants significantly decreased during the pandemic. The marital adjustment and sexual life of those with high perceived stress levels were found to be negatively affected, and they were exposed to violence during the pandemic. In the moderation analysis, a nonstandardized coefficient of the marital adjustment variable in the model turned out to be significant, and the perceived stress decreased as marital adjustment increased. The marital adjustment was low, and the stress level was high in individuals exposed to violence. Besides, perceived stress was found to be effective in being exposed to intimate partner violence. Conclusion: The stress perceived by individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their marital adjustment and sexual life. Besides, perceived stress was found to be effective in being exposed to intimate partner violence, and marital adjustment decreased during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. Impact: During the pandemic period, health care providers should routinely screen the psychosocial health of individuals. Continuous, accessible, free psychosocial support services should be available in order to increase the psychosocial health and marital adjustment of people with high-stress levels and prevent exposure to violence. Patient or Public Contribution: The conduct of this study is based on an online survey with participants living in the same house with their spouses during the pandemic