Covid-19 disruption gets inside the family

A two-month multilevel study of family stress during the pandemic

Dados Bibliográficos

ID9787787
AutoresDillon T Browne (0000-0002-7445-6604, autor correspondente), M Wade (0000-0003-4643-8465, University of Toronto), Shealyn S May (0000-0002-7438-6423), Jennifer M Jenkins (0000-0002-9192-6575, University of Toronto), Heather Prime (0000-0001-7387-0398, York University)
Ano2021
Volume57
Fascículo10
Páginas1681-1692
Data de publicação2021-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
EditoraAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0001237
PMID34807689
OpenAlexW3215299188
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas28
Referências citadas33

Developmental research during COVID-19 suggests that pandemic-related disruptions in family relationships are associated with children's mental health. Most of this research has focused on 1 child per family, thereby obfuscating patterns that are differentially operative at the family-wide (i.e., between-family) versus child-specific (i.e., within-family) levels of analysis. Thus, the current study evaluates multilevel, longitudinal associations between COVID-19 disruption, family relationships, and caregiver/child mental health using a sibling comparison methodology. Caregivers (N = 549 families with 1098 children between 5 and 18 years old) were recruited from the Prolific research panel (73% White-European; 68% female; 76% United Kingdom, 19% U.S.A.; median 2019 income $50,000-$74,999). Caregiver reports of COVID-19 disruption, psychological distress, family functioning, parenting, and child mental health (for 2 children per family) were provided during May (time 1) and July (time 2) 2020. A Bayesian multilevel path analysis with random effects revealed: (a) families were experiencing difficulties across domains when COVID-19 disruption was high; (b) COVID-19 disruption corresponded to greater sibling differences in mental health; and (c) the sibling with poorer mental health received lower quality parenting over time, especially in families who reported higher levels of differential parenting. Findings suggest that understanding children's mental health difficulties during COVID-19 requires a family system lens due to the multiple ways these consequences permeate across the family unit. Comprehensive interventions for children's mental health during this time will likely require an examination of caregiver, sibling, and whole-family dynamics in the context of evidence-based telehealth practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Developmental psychology · Disease · Family disruption · Mental health · Multilevel model · Pandemic · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Sibling · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Family Support in Illness · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology