Open AccessPSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AND WELL-BEING IN TIME OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER ENACTMENT AMONG COUPLES IN MALAYSIA
Author(s) -
Bee Seok Chua,
Ching Sin Siau,
Low Wah Yun,
Mimi Fitriana,
Rahmattullah Khan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
psychological applications and trends
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
ISSN - 2184-3414
DOI - 10.36315/2021inpact046
Subject(s) - snowball sampling , psychology , anxiety , multilevel model , distress , mental health , perceived stress scale , scale (ratio) , clinical psychology , psychological distress , quality (philosophy) , stress (linguistics) , psychiatry , medicine , physics , linguistics , philosophy , epistemology , pathology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , computer science
"With the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are drastic changes in the movement and activity among Malaysians: increased psychological distress due to perception of the COVID-19 as a health threat, increased time spent with families, and decreased time away from home could either intensity relationship problems or draw families closer to each other. This study aimed to examine the perceived psychological distress and relationship quality among couples before and during MCO in Malaysia and factors predictive of participants' well-being. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Perceived Relationship Quality Component Inventory, and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were disseminated through the snowball sampling technique. The study found that the participants (N=124) perceived significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress during MCO compared to before MCO. However, no significant differences between the couples were found before and during MCO in relationship quality, except in the trust sub-scale. Trust in the couple was higher during MCO. Multiple regression results showed that depression and stress predicted participants' well-being negatively during MCO. In contrast, total relationship quality, sexual relationship quality, satisfaction and couple’s trust predicted participants' well-being positively."