Weathering the storm together: family identification predicts future wellbeing during COVID-19 via enhanced financial resilience

The economic crisis precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has placed considerable financial pressures on households across the world. These are compounded by the enforced isolation accompanying pandemic restrictions, during which individuals can struggle to access external assistance and often need to rely heavily on the social, emotional, and financial support of other family members. Previous research indicates that family financial stress has negative consequences for the mental health and wellbeing of members, but that heightened family identification can provide individuals with a stronger sense of collective financial resilience. In the present study, an online longitudinal survey of UK residents (N=172) shows that, in summer 2020, the positive relationship between individuals’ family identification and their wellbeing one month later was mediated by levels of perceived family financial efficacy and financial stress. These findings build upon existing evidence of the pivotal role of the family in financial wellbeing and suggest that supporting family units to cope with shared financial challenges may have psychological benefits over and above supporting individual family members.