Drawing on the tenets of family stress theory, the aim of this study is to examine parents' perceived stress, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and associated risk-and protective factors across demographic subgroups during in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Norwegian parents (N = 2868; 79.5% mothers) with >1 child under 18 years of age completed an online survey two weeks after the implementation of government-initiated distancing measures. The survey includes measures of COVID-related risk factors (parental stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, anger of parents towards children, difficulty working from home, and positive beliefs about worry) and protective factors (self-efficacy and social support). Mothers, parents living with more than one child, and parents with a psychiatric diagnosis reported greater levels of parental stress, more burnout, and more anger towards their children, as well as less social support. Almost 25% of the parents reported anxiety and depression that are clinically significant. Parents who followed distancing measures reported significantly higher distress. Anger of parents towards children explains 41% of the variation in parental stress. These findings indicate that parents have experienced symptoms of deteriorated mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including parental stress, anxiety, and depression. The study presents practical implications for meso-and macro-level policymaking and offers support to further the potential aims of public health and clinical interventions. Future studies to monitor long-term aversive mental health outcomes among parents are warranted. K E Y W O R D S anxiety, COVID-19, depression, parental stress, risk-and protective factors 1 | INTRODUCTION When the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic struck globally in 2020, everyday family life changed dramatically as the pandemic and measures to combat it wreaked havoc on millions of parents and families. The rapid onset of the pandemic quickly and radically changed many otherwise stable features of family life and functionality and imposed additional burdens and demands on parents. Hence, major concerns regarding the potentially deleterious effects of these increased family demands and