In a survey study of more than 1,000 U.S. adults who were in committed, heterosexual relationships during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents were more likely than non-parents to report an increased desire for infidelity since before the pandemic, and were also more likely to report having actually cheated on their partner during the pandemic. Dr. Jessica T. Campbell of Indiana University Bloomington, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on August 13, 2025.
Prior research has suggested that COVID-19 pandemic conditions strained many romantic and sexual relationships. Other research suggests that high stress and relationship dissatisfaction may prompt some people to consider engaging in romantic or sexual infidelity.
However, few studies have specifically explored how the pandemic may have influenced infidelity-related desires and behaviors. To help fill that gap, Dr. Campbell and colleagues analyzed survey data from 1,070 U.S. adults who were in committed, heterosexual relationships in 2020 and 2021, during the first year of the pandemic. The survey included questions about parenthood and whether the participant had engaged in any actions that their partner would consider to be infidelity.
Statistical analysis of the survey answers showed that, in general, parents reported higher levels of amplified desire for—and engagement in—infidelity during the pandemic compared to non-parents. The analysis also showed that men were more likely than women to report that their desire to engage in infidelity increased during the pandemic, and more likely to report having cheated; these findings align with a large body of prior research on gender differences in infidelity.
However, while the researchers hypothesized that male parents would report the highest levels of cheating and elevated desire for infidelity, the mothers and fathers in this study instead showed similar patterns, suggesting that the pandemic's impact on infidelity may have been experienced more broadly across genders.
These results suggest that, for parents and men in particular, periods of high external stress may intensify vulnerabilities that lead to cheating. On the basis of their findings, the authors call for targeted efforts to support parents in ways that help them navigate their relationships during such times.
The authors add: "Our recent research found that parents, compared to non-parents, reported higher desire for and engagement in infidelity during periods of significant external stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Men also reported greater desire and behavior than women in general."
"These findings suggest that parents, and men in particular, may be especially susceptible to infidelity-related risk factors during high-stress life events. Targeted support for these individuals and their relationships may be especially important when navigating periods of collective or personal strain."
In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: http://plos.io/44XUBBr
Citation: Campbell JT, Viegas de Moraes Leme LF, Gesselman AN (2025) Infidelity among parents in committed relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 20(8): e0329015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329015
Author countries: U.S.
Funding: The data collection for the present research was supported by Hearst Communications. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
