Religiosity and Family Relationships During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Results in Poland

The COVID-19 pandemic that globally affected humanity in 2020 paralyzed the current functioning of the world. This has led to consequences not only in the economic or business sphere but also in the psychological and relational dimensions. The situation also affected families, whose members were forced to coexist due to the nationwide quarantine restrictions imposed by governments that limited individuals’ ability to leave home. Certainly, there are many factors that could help families live through the difficult time of the pandemic. Since religiosity and faith are precisely such factors, the subject of this study is to find out whether faith and its practice helped spouses and families to cope positively during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they shaped marital and intra-family relationships. To this end, an online survey was conducted among 200 respondents in Poland. The results confirmed the existence of a relationship between faith in God and families’ ability to weather the pandemic. There were no arguments or acts of aggression or violence in married couples. Religiosity also contributed to strengthening family relationships and lowering anxiety in children during the pandemic. In addition, the beneficial effect of the religious factor in the form of worship was noted to strengthen the psychological resilience of the respondents, thus increasing their overall well-being.