Social Relationship Model Approach to Family Relationship Quality in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Centrality of COVID-19, Perceived Difference and Self-Control

In the project, it was aimed to investigate the differences between family members in the centrality of COVID-19 (how integrated with life and identity), the connection of these differences with the quality of family relationships, and the buffer role of family members' self-control levels in this connection. In the project, data were collected from a total of 481 people consisting of mothers, fathers and children between the ages of 18-25 and analyzes were carried out using the Social Relationship Model. The results showed, contrary to expectations, that children had the highest, but not the lowest, level of COVID-19 centrality. There was no significant difference between mothers and children. Although thinking that other family members are similar about the centrality of COVID-19 has a positive correlation with general relationship satisfaction and intimacy, its relationship with relationship quality during the epidemic has not been determined. Finally, there was no evidence that self-control had a moderating role in the relationship between perceived COVID-19 centrality and relationship quality. Based on the results of the project, it was thought that methods that reduce the levels of centrality of the event (eg, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Bias Modification) would contribute to improving or preventing the worsening of low psychological health detected during the epidemic. In addition, it is understood that it is important to eliminate perceived differences or to accept if there is a difference that exists in reality. For example, family therapies aiming to strengthen the communication between the parties, to set common goals for the future, to be sensitive to each other's wishes and needs, to accept the other family member as they are, to try to be more flexible, to increase mutual understanding by taking into account the point of view of the other party can be counted among the possible methods.