by Stephen Beech SWNS

COVID-19 restrictions introduced family dinners It’s back on the menu, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the pandemic has not only led many families to eat more meals at home, but also that these dinners have the added benefit of improving the quality of family time.

American research has shown that families who eat together more often during the pandemic also experience more positive interactions, share news and information, and even adopt technologies such as videoconferencing to connect with distant relatives.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Fishel, researcher in family therapy Massachusetts General Hospital “The majority of past research has family dinners focused on frequency as the key determinant of benefits for children and adolescents.

“This study highlights the importance of examining both frequency and quality to understand the full picture of how shared meals can impact families.”

The research team examined data from a survey of 517 different parents in the United States in May 2021.

Their goal was to investigate changes. family meal frequency and quality during the pandemic.

Participants were asked about dinner frequency, quality, and post-pandemic expectations.

The survey included questions about positive and negative interactions, family support, and participation in the outside world.

Participants were asked the following questions: “During the pandemic, did all or most of the people living in your household eat dinner together less, about the same amount, or more than before the pandemic?”

They then gave answers ranging from one to five, with one being “much less” and five being “much more.”

According to findings published in the journal, more than 60% of participants reported eating dinner together more often during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice.

There was also a significant increase in positive interactions during family meals, such as expressing gratitude, laughing, or feeling connected.

Dr. “Specifically, 56 percent said they increased talking about their day at dinner, 60 percent said they increased talking about their identity as a family, 60 percent said they increased expressing gratitude, 67 percent said they increased laughing together, and 59 percent said they increased talking about their identity as a family,” Fishel said. “20% said they felt more connected to each other at the dinner table.”

The positive relationship is evident across income levels, education, age, gender and race, he said.

The study showed that the pandemic has also brought new dimensions to family meals, including “remote dining” with extended family members and more discussions about current events.

Dr. Fishel says many families are turning to video conferencing to connect with relatives, potentially strengthening the sense of belonging to a larger family unit.

He said most parents who increased their use of technology for remote dinners during the pandemic reported that they plan to continue doing so.

The research team also found an increase in families incorporating news and information from the outside world into dinner conversations, which can offer children a “safe space” where they can discuss concerns and questions with their parents.

Dr. Overall, the findings suggest that the increased frequency of shared meal times during the pandemic may have had “lasting positive effects” on family dynamics, Fishel says.

He said: “The pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, some for the better.

“Although parents did not intentionally sign up for more shared mealtime, increases in family meals were largely linked to improvements in the quality of family meals during the pandemic.”

Dr. The findings also highlight the potential benefits of using digital technology to connect with extended family and incorporating current events into dinner conversations, Fishel said.

He added: “The continued use of remote technology to connect with those who are not physically present can bring ongoing opportunities for family bonding and enable children to feel a sense of belonging to a larger unit, which we know is protective of their well-being.”