Summary
Covid-19 dramatically altered the typical lived experience of most Americans. In many families children stayed home from school, employees transitioned to working from home, and many social gatherings ceased. Staying home and indoors may negatively affect mental health. We gathered nationally representative data from 603 participants across the U.S. in August 2020 to assess their adjustment to the many changes catalyzed by Covid-19. We found that 1 in 3 Americans only went outside for at least a 15-minute interval in the summer two times or less a week. Americans who went outside more frequently in the midst of the pandemic were significantly associated with lower risk of depression, loneliness, suicide ideation, stress, and boredom, and associated with increased hope and overall mental wellbeing. Based on these results, we propose one straightforward way to improve mental health coping during this pandemic—plan to go safely outside more frequently.

Objectives

• Participants will learn about the associations between physical activity in nature with physical and mental health.
• Participants will learn about the frequency with which Americans went outside during the pandemic.
• Participants will learn about the multiple mental health benefits to going outdoors more frequently.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, mental health, well-being
Population Codes: middle adulthood, U.S., middle income
Method and Approach Codes: regression: linear (simple, multiple, hierarchical), path analysis, research, general

Summary
Little is known about factors that contribute to behavioral health help-seeking beyond pro-counseling attitudes. The COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) global pandemic dramatically impacted individuals, families, and communities worldwide. The pandemic led to significant disruptions to family routines and evidence suggests an increase in instances of mental health symptoms, like depression and anxiety, and poor utilization of mental health services To better understand psychological factors associated with help-seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers surveyed respondents (n= 1533 at time 1) about their mental health and help seeking using Amazon’s MTurk platform. Results individuals with higher levels of anxiety rate their likelihood of help seeking as higher, those who do seek psychological help are often experiencing higher levels of depression. Further, those who began treatment for behavioral health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic reported lower social support, and clarity in emotion regulation. Implications for counselors and public health are discussed.

Objectives

• Participants will learn about prevalence of behavioral health help seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Participants will learn about factors associated with help seeking, including mental health symptoms, emotion regulation, and social support.
• Participants will learn differences in correlates for those seeking new help during the COVID-19 pandemic, versus those who continued or resumed existing help seeking behaviors.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, mental health, well-being
Population Codes: U.S., , inclusive of adults
Method and Approach Codes: longitudinal research, regression: logistic (binary, ordinal, or multinomial), research, general

Summary
In the context of the COVID-19 shutdowns, we explored associations between changes in the frequency religious practices and family relational conflict, emotional closeness, and the perceived long-term impact of the pandemic on relationships. The panel survey of 1,510 adults in the US was administered during the summer of 2020 (June 18 through July 22). We employed a mixed methods approach (integrated quantitative and qualitative measures). Controlling for a large group of demographic variables and other factors, significant associations were found between the frequency of religious practices with relational well-being.Even after controlling for participants’ pre-COVID levels of family closeness, we found some differences in family closeness between groups based on their frequency and change in frequency of religious practices. Qualitative data suggested thatfamily prayer, scripture study, shared sacred rituals, and home-based worship helped foster positive family interactions for many of our participants.

Objectives

• To examine changes in home-centered religious practices during the COVID-19 shutdowns
• To examine changes in family relational being during the COVID-19 shutdowns
• To illustrate benefits of a mixed methods design in studying how religious practices and relational wellbeing are associated.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, relationship quality, spirituality
Population Codes: diverse but not representative, U.S., religious/religiosity
Method and Approach Codes: mixed-methodology, quantitative methodology, qualitative methodology

Summary
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how university-based marriage and family therapy (MFT) training programs transitioned to teletherapy. The present study describes the transition of two university MFT (i.e., master's and doctoral) training clinics to teletherapy and presents preliminary analyses of the types of clients and cases that converted to teletherapy. Using a series of descriptive and inferential statistics, four key findings emerged: (1) most cases converted to teletherapy; (2) Hispanic ethnicity was the only demographic characteristic to significantly predict conversion to teletherapy; (3) individual cases were significantly more likely to convert to teletherapy than relational cases; and (4) the number of prior in-person sessions attended significantly predicted conversion to teletherapy. Teletherapy conversion implications will be discussed across four systemic levels: client, student trainee, supervision, and larger systems. Finally, we will discuss opportunities and recommendations for MFTs to address the need for relational teletherapy expertise.

Objectives

• To discuss the conversion to teletherapy in university-based marriage and family therapy training settings
• To present preliminary analyses of the types of clients and cases that converted to teletherapy
• To explore opportunities and recommendations for marriage and family therapists to address the on-going need for relational teletherapy expertise

Subject Codes: COVID-19, technology, health care
Population Codes: Hispanic/Latina/o/x, communities, general, marriage and family therapists/clinicians
Method and Approach Codes: secondary data analysis, clinical practice, family therapy

Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic greatly has impacted individuals and families across the globe and will continue to do so directly and indirectly for years. Family scientists and practitioners have much work to do in order to understand these impacts and develop a broad array of ways in which we can help individuals, families, and communities best navigate these times and secure their futures in ways that promote their health and wellbeing, broadly defined.Studies documenting theimpacts of the Pandemicin the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) are comparatively fewer in number, and most available evidence is not specific to the experiences of families andchildren.This is a major knowledge gap. There is a specific dearth of information on this topic in MENA region. The primary objective of the proposed symposiumis to providemuch needed data to inform these efforts by documenting the impact of the pandemic on families and children in the MENA region.

Objectives

• To analyze the impact of the pandemic on parent-child relationships from a family perspective.
• To examinethe effects of pandemic on parents mental health and child anxiety in the MENARegion
• To analyze the association between family resilience and familypolicy during the pandemic in the MENA Region

Subject Codes: COVID-19, family relations, family policy
Population Codes: Family Scientists, couples/coupled, marriage and family therapists/clinicians
Method and Approach Codes: quantitative methodology, quantitative methodology, quantitative methodology

Summary
Objective: We focused on changes in individual and couple functioning from before and after the onset of the pandemic. Methods: 362 individuals were included in quantitative reports and 988 individuals provided qualitative data. Analysis and Results: Repeated measures analyses of covariance were conducted. Results indicated decreases over time in couple relationship quality, confidence/dedication, and mental health, with some variation by gender, race, income, and participation in a couples education program. Inductive content analysis revealed some benefits to couple/family functioning early in the pandemic which dissipated over time. Conclusion: A large economically and racially diverse group of couples experienced some unequal negative effects of the pandemic and report some non-linear shifts in couple/family functioning over time in response to the pandemic crisis.

Objectives

• To enhance understanding of the theoretical and empirical background of why and how relationship functioning changes in times of global stress, such as a pandemic.
• To examine patterns of change in couple relationship education study participants’ individual, couple, and family functioning during COVID-19.
• To explicate implications of the current findings for practitioners and scholars.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, family functioning, coping
Population Codes: couples/coupled, inclusive of adults, communities, general
Method and Approach Codes: mixed-methodology, content analysis, quantitative methodology

Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant stress on family support systems as it forces individuals to increase their reliance on family members due to social distancing measures. The interplay between family support, mental health, and family functioning during the pandemic is likely to demonstrate considerable heterogeneity across individual families and cultures. Gillian et al. (2020) reviewed literature on multigenerational family relationships in the United States and posited that established family support patterns and processes may be altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Informed by the theoretical perspectives of Intergenerational Solidary Model and Social Exchange Theory, this longitudinal quantitative study sought to a) identify unique profiles of family support within two culturally distinct regions (Minnesota, U.S., and Hong Kong), b) identify individual and family predictors of family support profiles, and c) examine the associations between family support profiles and individuals’ mental health and family functioning.

Objectives

• To empirically examine family support exchange profiles in Eastern and Western families as informed by Intergenerational Solidary Model and Social Exchange Theory.
• To identify individual and family predictors of different family support profiles.
• To examine the associations between family support profiles and individuals’ mental health and family functioning.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, family relations, mental health
Population Codes: cross-cultural, ,
Method and Approach Codes: structural equation modeling (SEM), theory [identify specific theory below],

Summary
While existing research highlights health changes associated with COVID-19 on a national level, less is known about the pandemic’s impact on those living in rural areas (Mueller et al., 2021). Utilizing the Ecological Perspective (McLeroy et al., 1988), the purpose of our study was to explore how rural family’s health and daily activities have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined 1) changes in family cohesion, life satisfaction, and mental health from pre to post-pandemic, 2) changes in family experiences during the pandemic, and 3) self-reported positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on participants’ child/ren and family. Our results highlight how participants’ mental health and family cohesion has declined since the pandemic, and that families have experienced many stressful changes (e.g., schools closing, loss of employment). The most common positive effect reported was that families have spent more time together as a family unit.

Objectives

• To analyze the impact of COVID-19 on rural family's health and daily lives.
• To demonstrate changes in family cohesion, life satisfaction, and mental health from pre to post-pandemic.
• To analyze both positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on participants' children and families.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, health,
Population Codes: rural, ,
Method and Approach Codes: thematic analysis, ,

Summary
Social upheavals precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including health concerns, financial insecurity, and physical distancing mandates have unquestionably impacted familial well-being by disrupting the routines, rituals, and rules of family life. This pilot study explored resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic using the Connor-Davidson scale. Results revealed that 60% of participants scored in the lower quartile of the scale suggesting reduced levels of resilience. Participants shared that they relied on several different coping mechanisms including spirituality and faith, developing new skills, and interacting with families and friends. Collectively these observations have broader implications regarding family health and policy. This study supports the utility of the Connor- Davidson scale to capture the “pulse” of individuals during times of crisis. The ability to make quick, repeated assessments over periods of time allows us to articulate, develop and implement evidence-informed policies and practices designed to help individuals, families, and communities cope during disruptive times.

Objectives

• to explore the utility of the Connor-Davidson scale as a rapid assessment of resilience
• to understand the coping mechanisms being used during the COVID-19 pandemic
• to document the lived experiences of families during the COVID-19 pandemic

Subject Codes: COVID-19, coping, resilience
Population Codes: emerging/young adulthood, middle adulthood, inclusive of adults
Method and Approach Codes: mixed-methodology, quantitative methodology, qualitative methodology

Summary
Using a qualitative approach, this study aims to document and explore marital relationships and gender dynamics during COVID19 pandemic quarantine in Saudi Arabia. The distinctive features of the Saudi social context allow shedding new light on the marriage dynamics specifically during the quarantine. The study explores Saudi women lived experiences in (a) marital relationships (e.g., closeness, intimacy, family cohesion), (b) the challenges and the coping strategies couples incorporate, and (c) gender roles. I collected data using phone audiotaped semi-structured interviews with 24 married women in monogamousand polygamous marriages mostly from the south of Saudi Arabia. Early findings indicate that women have experienced both positive and negative marital dynamics. The quarantine has forced women to look again at their marriages and reevaluate them (e.g., some women discuss the busy social lifestyle in the Saudi culture that has contributed to distancing the family and the quarantine helped startsprioritizing family time). Implications for practices are discussed.

Objectives

• To examine the lived experiences of married women during COVID19 pandemic.
• To address the impact of the pandemic from family science preceptive.
• To provide implications for family policy and stakeholders.

Subject Codes: COVID-19, interpersonal relationships, gender roles
Population Codes: international (non-U.S.), couples/coupled, Islam, Moslem, Muslim
Method and Approach Codes: qualitative methodology, cross-cultural, empowerment