Article published by Evelyn Iriarte, Young researcher at MICARE, Michaela E. Larson and Victoria Behar-Zusman.

The current cross-sectional study examined the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) household isolation on household conflict and cohesion in one-, two-, and three-generation households with older adults (aged ≥65 years). Participants were 757 adults (aged ≥18 years) with at least one older adult in their household. Respondents were from 51 countries. Study variables were measured with the COVID-19 Household Environmental Scale. Non-parametric tests were used to assess differences between groups.

Findings

Three-generation homes reported greater increases in conflict and cohesion during household isolation compared to oneand two-generation homes.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that older adults living in multigenerational households experienced more cohesive and conflictive household environments as a function of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research should explore how family or health care interventions could better support older adults and families as a unit of care to avoid adverse outcomes and boost resilience.