Navigating Interpersonal Conflict During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations with Indicators of Psychological Well-Being

This study examined associations between perceived use of specific conflict styles and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in a nationally representative sample of Swiss participants. Specifically, this study investigated how conflict styles and conflict profiles related to anxiety, depression, and loneliness during the pandemic. Indirect fighting emerged as the most consistent predictor of the three negative mental health outcomes. The combination of high indirect fighting and high yielding was associated with anxiety, the combination of high indirect fighting and low collaborating with depression, and high indirect fighting alone with loneliness. Moreover, Direct Conflict Managers—individuals who reported high collaboration and low use of indirect conflict styles—tended to report lower levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness than those with other conflict profiles. Building on existing health and interpersonal communication scholarship, these findings highlight the potential psychological risks associated with indirect conflict behaviors during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest that collaborative approaches to conflict may be linked to better mental health outcomes.