COVID-19 voluntary social isolation and its effects in sociofamily and children’s behavior

Abstract

Introduction. The main prevention strategy for reducing the dispersion of the SARS-CoV-2 has been social distancing. Several investigations began to explore its psychological impact since it began, but there are no data about its effect on social and family behavior. Objectives. Were: First, to analyze the reliability of an ad-hoc designed questionnaire to measure sociofamily behavior changes in a sample of parents of children from one to twelve years old. Second, to characterize effects of voluntary social isolation by COVID-19 over sociofamily behavior at a personal level and over children’s activities at home. Third, to determine vulnerability predictors for a negative experience by isolation itself. Method. An online Questionnaire for Perceptions of Changes in Sociofamily Behavior was applied to 365 Mexican participants. Results. Factor analysis showed a reliability of the ad-hoc designed questionnaire for this study. Correlations were found between voluntary social isolation and self-perceived experiences, such as sleep quality, irritability, emotional control, hope about the future, motivation, attention span, and problem solving. Discussion and conclusion. The results of this study suggest that family well-being during voluntary social isolation is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, which addresses specific effects in different domains, especially in sociofamily behavior.