Combating crisis: Buffers between financial stress and relationship satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Previous research has found that financial stress typically has a negative influence on relationship outcomes, but other research has identified ways to mitigate this negative association. Using data from the Couple Relationship and Transition Experiences project (N = 1,141 different-gender U.S. couples) and structural equation modeling, we analyzed the association between financial stress and relationship satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and tested relationship communication and financial satisfaction as moderators. We used the ABC-X model of family stress to frame our study, where stressors (A) are associated with outcomes (X) and those associations are modified by resources (B) and perceptions (C). In this study, financial stress (i.e., income-to-needs ratio) (A) was associated with relationship satisfaction (X) and that link was moderated by relationship communication (B) and financial satisfaction (C). Income-to-needs ratio was only (positively) associated with relationship satisfaction during the pandemic. We found that relationship communication moderated the association but only for wives and only during the pandemic. At high levels of relationship communication, relationship satisfaction was higher, and the negative effect of the income-to-needs ratio was weaker. In addition, financial satisfaction was found to moderate the association only for husbands before and during COVID-19. At high levels of financial satisfaction, relationship satisfaction was higher and the income-to-needs ratio had no effect; at low levels, the effect of the income-to-needs ratio was negative. Although financial stress takes a relational toll, context (e.g., the pandemic) can affect these associations, and relationship communication may be an effective buffer, especially for wives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).