A research was conducted by Üsküdar University and Sakarya University with the participation of university students to measure how family relations were affected during the Covid-19 pandemic process and the impact of the process on domestic problems. Striking data emerged in the survey of 1,156 people, 94 percent of whom live with their families. According to the results, 36 percent of the participants' family relations changed positively with the Covid-19 process. 87 percent of young people stated that they attach great importance to family.
Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, Head of Social Work Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış and Sakarya University Faculty of Science and Letters faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Hüseyin Taylan, with the participation of young people studying at universities across Turkey, conducted the research 'Family Problems in Turkey during the Covid-19 Pandemic Process'.
Family relations have changed positively
Stating that they conducted the survey with 1,156 university students, mostly between the ages of 18-24, studying at universities across Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış said, "The survey was attended at associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. We can say that 70 percent of them are female students and 94 percent of them live with their families. The rate of those who think that family relations have changed positively with the Covid-19 process was 36 percent, and the rate of those who said 'our relationships were negatively affected' was determined as 12 percent. In the research, it was seen that 87.1 percent of young people attach great importance to the family." He said.
Discussions did not lead to physical intervention
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış said that when they approached the research data in the context of family problems, they came across the following results:
"It can be concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic process has increased some types of problems in the family and decreased some types of problems. For example, while domestic arguments and fights that did not involve physical intervention increased by 23.4 percent, it decreased in the families of 13.5 percent. While family members criticizing each other increased by 30 percent, it decreased in the households of 9 percent. While 19.5 percent of the respondents stated that the frequency of discussions about household economics increased, 6 percent stated that it decreased; 34 percent of the respondents stated that discussions about household responsibilities increased. There was a 16 percent increase in religious and political issues and an 8 percent increase in arguments about harmful habits such as alcohol, smoking and gambling. There was a 14 percent increase in arguments about relatives and friends."
Communication breakdown within the family decreased
Stating that the research revealed important results regarding communication within the family, Barış said, "While 14 percent of the participants stated that the communication breakdown within the family decreased in their homes, 50 percent stated that they did not experience any communication breakdown. While 10 percent of the participants stated that the rate of separate family activities increased, 17 percent stated that it decreased, and 37 percent stated that there were no activities at all." He said.
Loyalty among spouses is high
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış said that the rate of not experiencing negative situations between spouses during the pandemic was quite high and continued his words as follows:
"79 percent of the participants said that cheating between spouses never occurred in their homes, 73.2 percent said that there was no jealousy to the extent of restricting, 77.6 percent said that the situation of being threatened with separation and divorce was not seen in the family. While only 1.8 percent of the participants stated that physical violence increased in their homes, 77 percent stated that physical violence was never experienced. While 5 percent of the participants stated that there was an increase in insults, threats and swearing, 61 percent stated that it never happened."
Stating that the results show that there is a 10 percent increase in the rate of economic deprivation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış said, "In the responses of 8 percent of the participants, it was determined that there was an increase in the acts of ridicule and humiliation. The rate of those who stated that indifference and insensitivity were never experienced in their homes was 61 percent." He spoke in the form.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış: "If the house is wounded, the person is also wounded"
Stating that there has been an increase in each type of family problem for some families and a decrease in others, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış said the following:
"Being together in the family, family members living under the same roof for a long time and being together in small home rooms without even going out on the street may have been a longed-for picture, but it has never been experienced in the capitalist lifestyle. In many troubled marriages or families, life outside the family is a partial escape from problems. For many families, we observed an increase in verbal or emotional violence and a decrease in physical violence. While there was a decrease in infidelity and decline in cheating or infidelity, the survey revealed an increase in economic violence. Finally, when 'family togetherness' was experienced, it was seen that: 'If the house is wounded, the person is wounded.' If there are problems in the family that have been swept under the carpet, if they have been postponed in business life, in the modern lifestyle, when confrontations take place, those problems begin to emerge and family relationships begin to turn in a negative direction."