{"id":508112,"date":"2022-01-18T11:24:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=508112"},"modified":"2022-01-19T10:36:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T15:36:00","slug":"mental-health-during-covid-better-living-with-family-than-living-alone-508112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/mental-health-during-covid-better-living-with-family-than-living-alone-508112\/","title":{"rendered":"Who fared better during Covid: those living with or without family?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Study shows even with cooped up kids or a cranky partner, mental health better overall for those living with family.<\/h2>\n

Some days it may not have felt like it, but for those living with kids and a partner, being locked down together may actually have bolstered well-being during COVID-19.<\/p>\n

A new study<\/a> published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science<\/em> finds that those who sheltered with their children or romantic partners reported better mental health during the pandemic than those who lived alone.<\/p>\n

Despite the obvious stressors\u2014cramped quarters, school closures, the chaos of waxing and waning childcare options, coupled with a lack of personal space and boundaries\u2014researchers discovered that living with one\u2019s children or a significant other during the pandemic was still better than living alone.<\/p>\n

Bonnie Le<\/a>, an assistant professor of psychology\u00a0at the University of Rochester<\/a>, was a coauthor of the study, which was led by Natalie Sisson<\/a>, a PhD student in social psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga.<\/p>\n

The researchers followed two diverse US population samples totaling 1,200 participants right before and during the first six months of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Among their findings:<\/p>\n