Family Dinners and Family Relationships following the Initial Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Keywords

COVID-19, family dinner, family relationships, meals, mixed methods, parent-child relationships

Abstract

In the context of the COVID-19 shutdowns, we explored associations between family dinner and family well-being among 731 adult parents in the United States who currently had at least one child residing in their home. The panel survey was administered during the summer of 2020 (June 18 through July 22). Participants were asked to respond to questions about relational processes before the COVID-19 shutdowns, at the height of the shutdowns, and currently (i.e., at the time of data collection). Results suggest that maintaining regular family meals or increasing the frequency of these meals was associated with increased closeness and more positive perceptions of the impact of the pandemic. Participants’ qualitative responses to several open-ended questions are used to provide additional insights and nuance to the quantitative findings.

Original Publication Citation

Marks, L. D., Kelley, H. H., Kimball, E. R., Dollahite, D. C., & James. S. (2023). Family dinners and family relationships following the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Marriage and Family Review, 59, 95-120. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01494929.2022.2137874?needAccess=true

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2022

Publisher

Marriage & Family Review

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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