Parent psychological distress and parent-child relationships two years into the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a Canadian cross-sectional study

Author:

Thomson Kimberly C.ORCID,Jenkins Emily,Gill Randip,Hastings Katherine G.,Richardson Chris G.,Gagné Petteni Monique,McAuliffe CoreyORCID,Gadermann Anne M.

Abstract

Background Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been felt equally within populations. Parents with children living at home were early on identified as a population at heightened mental health risk, with concerns about the potential long-term impacts of the pandemic on parents’ mental health, family functioning, and children’s well-being. This study investigates impacts of the pandemic on parents’ psychological distress, contextual sources of distress, and associations with family functioning nearly two years into the pandemic. Methods and findings Data were drawn from a national cross-sectional survey of adults living in Canada in November and December 2021 that was representative by age, gender, household income, and region. Parents with children < 18 years old living at home (N = 553) reported their experiences of psychological distress, pandemic-related stressors, coping mechanisms, and family functioning (changes in parent-child interactions, children’s anxiety). Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and linear regression analyses examined sociodemographic inequities in parents’ levels of psychological distress, sources and mitigating mechanisms of distress, and associations between psychological distress and family functioning. Nearly two years into the pandemic, parents with children at home reported nearly double pre-pandemic population estimates of moderate to severe psychological distress. Psychological distress was more frequently reported among parents with pre-existing mental health conditions, disabilities, and financial stressors. Parents with greater psychological distress reported increases in negative parent–child interactions due to the pandemic and higher anxiety among their children. Conclusions This study identifies sustained negative impacts of the pandemic on parents’ mental health and family functioning in Canada nearly two years into the pandemic, despite high vaccine uptake and declining infection rates. Disparities in financial stress, social support structures, and pre-existing mental health were identified as underlying sources of psychological distress. These results highlight that meaningful responses to promote mental health among parents and families must address social and structural inequities.

Funder

Canadian Mental Health Association

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Subject

Multidisciplinary

Reference47 articles.

1. Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: comparison to pre-pandemic data.;EM Westrupp;Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry.,2021

2. Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada: Findings from a national cross- sectional study;AM Gadermann;BMJ Open,2021

3. Risk and resilience in family well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.;H Prime;Am Psychol.,2020

4. Well-being of Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey;SW Patrick;Pediatrics,2020

5. Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population;M Pierce;The Lancet Psychiatry,2020

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3