COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects of Changes in Children’s Daily-Lives and Concerns Regarding Infection on Maternal Parenting Stress

Abstract

Objectives: This study examines the changes in children’s daily lives and experiences caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Further, it discusses the effects of changes in children’s daily lives and mother’s concerns regarding COVID-19 on mothers’ parenting stress during the pandemic.Methods: A survey were conducted on the mothers of 3-to 5-year-old children through an online community site for mothers. A total of 219 mothers clarified their children’s daily lifestyles before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, their concerns regarding infection, and the pandemic’s effect on maternal parenting stress. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and multiple regressions analysis.Results: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some changes in children’s daily lifestyles, such as their sleeping habits (going-to-bed time, wake-up time, ease of falling asleep, and waking up in the middle of sleep), eating (mealtime regularity and instant food use), and main caregivers at home. Delays in their children’s wake-up times and remaining the main daytime caregivers decreased mothers’ parenting stress, whereas reductions in children’s quality of sleep in terms of difficulty in falling asleep and waking up in the middle of sleep, and mothers’ concern regarding COVID-19 infection increased mother’s parenting stress.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic caused some changes to children’s daily lifestyles and maternal concern regarding infection, which significantly affected maternal parenting stress. However, there are many children whose daily lives have not been significantly affected. Further study is required to examine short term as well as long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s development.