The Impact of Coronavirus Crisis on Human Interpersonal Relationships among AlAhsa Population

Abstract

Background:

Home quarantine during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was a clear cause of loss of communication and a lot of conflicts between individuals, which had adverse consequences on people’s relationships.

Objective:

This study aims to assess the effect of lockdown on interpersonal relationships in AlAhsa community.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2020–2021 with 306 participants in AlAhsa, the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using an online survey to explore the effect of lockdown on interpersonal relationships.

Results:

The study demonstrates that (61.8%) of the participants reported that their relationships were affected during lockdown, (61.4%) of them were affected negatively, with a higher rate among the unemployed and students (73.1%) and (64.8%), respectively. About 38.6% of the individuals were positively affected.

Conclusion:

Most of the participants identified that quarantine affected their interpersonal relationships negatively, which were impacted variably by different demographical statuses.

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case was identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.[1] Since then, it has spread worldwide, leading to a pandemic. COVID-19 has a worldwide effect on the government as well as many aspects of people’s lives.

Lockdowns and physical distancing measures, which are needed to stop the rapid spread of coronavirus and save lives, resulted in a subsequent and prolonged loss of interaction between others, increasing the risk and incidence of depression, stress, and emotional disturbance.[2,3] Furthermore, some studies that were done in Saudi Arabia showed that quarantine had a big impact on health, especially for patients with chronic diseases that need a regular checkup, such as diabetes mellitus. COVID-19 lockdown and accompanying restrictions may have changed the way that patients with diabetes eat, exercise, and sleep. Furthermore, it may have affected the accessibility to their appointments to seek medical advice and adjust the treatment plan. Moreover, the lockdown significantly impacted physical activity and the dietary behavior of most Saudi society in an unhealthy way overall.[4,5] Quarantine lasted for a long time, which made a lack of socialization have a strong impact on people’s relationships. Social relationships refer to the existing associations between family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and other associates. According to social relationship experts, the importance of having comfortable, easy, and uncomplicated interactions in an individual’s life and how they affect one’s behavior, psychosocial state, and physiological condition all have a significant bearing on one’s health.[2,3] Conflict inevitably arises in all relationships, and it is common to fight more vehemently under anxiety. These conflicts have increased during 2020 because of the pandemic and quarantine, which have led to more stressful events in people’s relationships.

Marital relationships were one of the things that were negatively affected during quarantine; divorce rates were significantly raised.[6] By April 2020, interest in divorce had increased by 34% in the United States, with newer couples being the most likely to file for divorce. In fact, a full 20% of couples who had been married for 5 months or less sought divorce during this period, compared with only 11% in 2019. Some predict a continuation of this trend, anticipating that divorce rates will increase between 10% and 25% in the second half of the year due to the pandemic.[6] Furthermore, all-embracing, family bonding has been affected in various ways, and members including siblings of different age groups and employment status were prone to stress and mental status changes subsequent to the marked alteration in their lifestyle following safety precautions. Children in the age of social skills development were the most negatively affected, especially those who are mentally disabled, i.e. patients with autism and learning difficulties.[7]

In comparison, another study conducted in Jordan has shown conflicting findings, reporting that social life was also affected by the long-lasting quarantine, but the effect was not negative. Around 32% of the participants reported that their social relationships were affected to a high degree by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 14.8% of participants were positively affected in terms of their social relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

So far, no such study has been released in Saudi Arabia, specifically in AlAhsa. However, as regards the importance of preserving a person’s relationship with others, there is a need to raise awareness. In addition, it is also important to know how to deal with interpersonal problems and conflicts, particularly during a stressful time such as lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we designed a study to assess the impact of COVID-19 on interpersonal relationships among AlAhsa population.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, AlAhsa, from February to April 2022, using a convenience sampling technique to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on interpersonal interactions among the AlAhsa population. An online validated and reliable questionnaire with Arabic translation was employed and was disseminated at random on social media for 3 weeks.[9] People from AlAhsa City who were 15 years old or older were eligible to participate. People from cities other than AlAhsa and those under the age of 15 were excluded from the study.

The research instrument is divided into two sections: (a) Sociodemographic data and (b) Includes 32 questions assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interpersonal relationships and determining the type of personality that has an impact on it.[9] With an online consent form obtained before carrying out the survey, the goal of the study and the projected time to answer the questions were supplied. A total of 306 sample size was calculated by applying a sample size calculation formula.[10] Out of 306 participants who were contacted, all have completed the survey, with a response rate of 100%.

The reliability of the Arabic version of the questionnaire was tested in a pilot study that involved 45 subjects who fulfilled the study’s inclusion criteria. The reliability test in the scale section of the questionnaire evaluating the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on interpersonal relationships and identifying the personality traits that have an impact on interpersonal relationships achieved a Cronbach’s alpha of >0.83 with an overall score of 0.84 for a total of 32 items.

The data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Windows 26.0 edition, and the data were presented on tables and graphs using Microsoft Excel 2016. The total replies for each choice in the survey were estimated using the frequency of the questions. The major statistical analytical test was Chi-square, whereas the remaining quantitative data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

This study has a total of 306 participants. The majority of them (64.37%) were between the ages of 15 and 25 years. Females made up (83.3%) of the total. Around (59.2%) of the people were single, whereas (38.9%) were married, and (76.8%) were living with their families. They were mostly students (61.8%). About (61.8%) of the participants reported that their relationships were affected during the lockdown, (61.4%) of them were affected negatively, and (38.6%) were positively affected [Table 1].

Table 1.

Sociodemographic data

Demographic variables	Frequency (%)
Age groups (years)
15–20	91 (29.7)
21–25	106 (34.6)
26–30	14 (4.6)
31–35	24 (7.8)
36–40	15 (4.9)
41–45	28 (9.2)
46–50	17 (5.6)
51–55	7 (2.3)
56–60	3 (1.0)
61–65	1 (0.3)
Gender
Female	255 (83.3)
Male	51 (16.7)
Marital status
Single	181 (59.2)
Married	119 (38.9)
Widowed	4 (1.3)
Divorced	2 (0.7)
Employment status
Student	189 (61.8)
Employed	51 (16.7)
Unemployed	53 (17.3)
Retired	13 (4.2)
Live alone or with someone else
Living with family	235 (76.8)
Living with spouse	64 (20.9)
Living alone	7 (2.3)
COVID-19 pandemic affect your interpersonal relationships
Yes	189 (61.8)
No	117 (38.2)
COVID-19 pandemic affect interpersonal relationships positively or negatively
Positively	73 (38.6)
Negatively	116 (61.4)

COVID-19=Coronavirus disease 2019

Table 2 demonstrates the relationship between sociodemographic data and the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on interpersonal relationships. When analyzing the concerned variables, some of them show a significant relationship with the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on interpersonal relationships, and others show no significance. Age and employment status show a significant relationship with (P = 0.064) and (P = 0.033), respectively. Unexpectedly, gender, marital status, and living with family show no significance (P > 0.05).

Table 2.

Relationship between demographical data and the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 quarantine on interpersonal relationship

Demographic variables	Affect		P
	Positive	Negative
Age groups
15–20	22	42	0.064
21–25	23	43
26–30	2	4
31–35	5	9
36–40	6	2
41–45	5	12
46–50	7	2
51–55	3	1
56–60	0	1
Gender
Male	8	17	0.465
Female	65	99
Marital status
Single	39	80	0.056
Married	33	36
Divorced	1	0
Employment status*
Student	44	81	0.033
Employed	17	14
Unemployed	7	19
Retired	5	2
Live alone or with someone else
Living with family	61	93	0.843
Living with spouse	11	21
Living alone	1	2

*Significance (P<0.05)

Across the sample population, we observed that there is no significant difference between males and females in different subscales, except for the avoidance of interpersonal intimacy and excessive expressivity (P = 0.013 and 0.082, respectively) [Table 3]. Among the sample population, there was a significant relationship between avoidance of interpersonal intimacy and argumentativeness or disagreement subscales with employment (P = 0.008 and 0.037, respectively) [Table 4].

Table 3.

Relationship between gender and different personality subscales

Variables	Sum of squares	Df	Mean square	F	P
Avoidance of interpersonal intimacy
Between groups	363.736	1	363.736	6.269	0.013
Within groups	17,637.702	304	58.019
Total	18,001.438	305
Argumentativeness or disagreement
Between groups	27.200	1	27.200	0.618	0.433
Within groups	13,385.741	304	44.032
Total	13,412.941	305
Emotional experience and expression
Between groups	9.412	1	9.412	0.645	0.422
Within groups	4434.706	304	14.588
Total	4444.118	305
Excessive expressivity
Between groups	71.176	1	71.176	3.043	0.082
Within groups	7109.765	304	23.387
Total	7180.941	305

Df=Degree of freedom

Table 4.

Relationship between employment and different personality subscales

Variables	Sum of squares	Df	Mean square	F	P
Avoidance of interpersonal intimacy
Between groups	691.650	3	230.550	4.022	0.008
Within groups	17,309.788	302	57.317
Total	18,001.438	305
Argumentativeness or disagreement
Between groups	372.170	3	124.057	2.873	0.037
Within groups	13,040.772	302	43.181
Total	13,412.941	305
Emotional experience and expression
Between groups	57.378	3	19.126	1.317	0.269
Within groups	4386.739	302	14.526
Total	4444.118	305
Excessive expressivity
Between groups	103.521	3	34.507	1.472	0.222
Within groups	7077.421	302	23.435
Total	7180.941	305

Df=Degree of freedom

The findings of this table show that there is a significant relationship between avoidance of interpersonal intimacy and argumentativeness, or disagreement subscales, and the impact of COVID-19 quarantine (P = 0.003 and 0.031, respectively) [Table 5].

Table 5.

Relationship between the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 quarantine and the different personality subscales

Variables	Sum of squares	Df	Mean square	F	P
Avoidance of interpersonal intimacy
Between groups	815.234	3	271.745	4.775	0.003
Within groups	17186.203	302	56.908
Total	18,001.438	305
Argumentativeness or disagreement
Between groups	387.544	3	129.181	2.995	0.031
Within groups	13,025.398	302	43.130
Total	13,412.941	305
Emotional experience and expression
Between groups	49.922	3	16.641	1.144	0.332
Within groups	4394.196	302	14.550
Total	4444.118	305
Excessive expressivity
Between groups	122.128	3	40.709	1.742	0.158
Within groups	7058.813	302	23.374
Total	7180.941	305

Df=Degree of freedom

DISCUSSION

Subsequent to the huge impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on humanity, there has been concern about how the lockdown may affect people’s interpersonal connections in general, considering personality character as a factor. Thus, this was the area of investigation in this study. Unfortunately, as expected, most of the participants were negatively affected by the lockdown. The majority of them were single females aged between 15 and 25 years. In contrast to a previous study published in the US, their sample population was mostly married females aged more than 60 years old, whereas our sample was of young people.[11] This shows that different age groups could be affected the same, regardless of their possible habitual differences, social practices, and use of social media.

The findings of the relationship between sociodemographic data and the effect of COVID-19 quarantine on interpersonal relationships show no significant difference between gender with the impact of lockdown. That could be explained by the fact that most of the participants in this study are female. In addition, most of the young students were affected negatively by the quarantine. In a study that investigated the psychological well-being of a university’s academic community during COVID-19 lockdown in Saudi Arabia, some of the immediate repercussions included reduced levels of involvement, low energy, poor connections with other students and instructors, an inability to focus on academics, and worse average grades, etc.[12] While a lifelong self-harming habit and suicidal thoughts may worsen as a result of stress,[13] this could be due to the dramatic change in the manner of education, involving aspects of distance learning and assessment. In addition, the availability of necessary tools to adapt to these changes could play a role.[14] In the present study, there was a difference between avoidance of interpersonal intimacy and excessive expressivity among genders. This difference could possibly be due to the nature of females. Unlike males, they tend to be more emotionally expressive.[15]

The results showed that the unemployed were negatively affected during lockdown, in contrast to the employed, who were affected positively. We believe that the reason behind this is that employed subjects were working online, which offered them more leisure time. On the other side, the possibilities of obtaining work were reduced, and the majority of unemployed participants did not engage in any activity that could lead to anxiety and stress. Under the specific situation of quarantine, unemployment has been identified as a risk factor for negative psychological impacts such as stress and depression, especially in females.[16]

This study suggested that people who have the personal characteristics of an avoidance personality by not getting involved in relationships and being short-tempered tend to be affected by COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. This is because subjects with these personal characteristics are more likely to be affected by mildly stressful situations.[17] It is recommended for future researchers to cover large areas in their studies and engage more participants in their research. Moreover, they need to discuss more aspects that could be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Limitations

The study had several limitations. First, the data were collected through social media. As a result, only people who use social media platforms had a chance to participate in this study. In addition, most of our participants were female. Therefore, the results that include gender assessment will be affected. Furthermore, the sample size was modest. It does, however, provide some information to indicate that the population in the Alahsa region is also afflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

To the best of the author’s knowledge, the present study is an innovative investigation of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on interpersonal interactions in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, as feared, the lockdown had a detrimental impact on the majority of the participants. The majority of them were single females aged 15–25.

Data availability

There are no linked research data sets for this submission. The individual responses are not available to preserve the responder anonymity and confidentiality.

Financial support and sponsorship

This study is funded for publication by Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, Project No. GRANT5206.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.