Family Functioning and Stress among Palestinian Parents in Israel During the COVID ‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors (i.e., financial damage due to the pandemic, exposure to COVID‐19, and prior stressful life events), and family‐related protective factors (i.e., cohesion and flexibility) on marital, parental, and financial stress experienced by married heterosexual Palestinians in Israel during the COVID‐19 pandemic. A total of 480 participants completed self‐report questionnaires. A structural equation model examined the predictors of marital, parental, and financial stress. Notable differences were seen between predictors of marital and parental stress and those of financial stress. Marital and parental stress were primarily predicted by protective factors, mainly family coherence, whereas risk factors and sociodemographic characteristics predicted these outcomes only to a lesser extent. For financial stress, risk factors, particularly financial damage related to COVID‐19 and prior stressful life events, were the primary predictors. It therefore appears that during the COVID‐19 pandemic, and potentially in other crises, better family functioning reduced marital and parental stress. However, this effect did not extend to financial stress, although protective factors contributed to its reduction to some extent. Given that family cohesion plays a more significant role in resilience compared to flexibility in a collectivist society, culturally sensitive interventions focusing on strengthening family cohesion are essential.