Coping strategies of families and their relationships with family quality of life during Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to almost every aspect of parents’ and their children’s lives, posing an acute threat to the families’ quality of life (FQOL). This study had two aims: (1) to identify changes in family coping-strategy profiles among parents pre- and during the first COVID-19 lockdown and (2) to analyze interactions between the clusters of coping strategies pre-COVID with FQOL during the first lockdown. A sample of 253 parents (58.5% mothers) of children (3 to 18 yr old) completed the Family Pandemic Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales and the FQOL Scale about their family life pre- and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Four family coping-strategy clusters were found. Differences were found between those clusters pre- and during the first COVID-19 lockdown, with a high percentage of families using the positive appraisal strategy more often. Significant interactions were found between the family coping-strategy clusters pre-COVID-19 and the FQOL factors before and during the pandemic. Most families maintained their FQOL levels during the first lockdown. Close and frequent interactions between family members had relationships with positive emotions and significant effects on well-being. Results showed that positive cognitive appraisal was a protective factor against a significant decrease in FQOL during the first COVID-19 lockdown.