Lacking family ties during COVID‐19: A longitudinal, small‐scale qualitative analysis of fictive kin in older adulthood

Abstract

Family support was an important coping mechanism for older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, not all older adults had access to traditional family ties amid the pandemic. Thus, this study sought to investigate if and how fictive kin ties were developed as a result of pandemic‐related isolation. Older adults (n = 8) who were identified as lacking access to traditional family ties were interviewed five times across 2 years of the pandemic, and their transcripts were analyzed to detect shifts in their fictive kin relationships over time. The majority (n = 5) of participants developed fictive kin ties, either before or during the pandemic, while other older adults struggled with isolation (n = 3). This research has implications that may expand the understanding of social connections and help better support older adults during moments of historical crisis.