New research exploring COVID-19's impact on Australian families has demonstrated the importance of developing social networks to provide support in an increasingly unstable world.
Dr Sarah Hunter, Research Fellow in the Caring Futures Institute, led a team of Flinders University researchers – Dr Chelsea Mauch, Dr Kate Ridley, Dr Jessie Shipman, Professor Damien Riggs, Professor John Coveney, Dr Rebecca Feo and Professor Rebecca Golley – to examine the pandemic's impact by better understanding how families spent their time completing household duties and maintaining important relationships.
Isolation measures resulted in large numbers of parents and caregivers having their routines disrupted. They spent more time working at home and needed to balance their professional life with housework, caring for their children and themselves.
The research shows that families with poor relationships went through negative and lasting experiences during this significant period of disruption.
