How Personality Relates to Distress in Parents during the Covid-19 Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties and the Moderating Effect of Living with Other People

Abstract

Since the initiation of the COVID-19 lockdown, Italian parents have been forced to manage their children at home. The present study aimed at investigating the psychological distress of parents during the lockdown, identifying contributing factors. An online survey was administered to 833 participants from 3 to 15 April 2020. Mediation and moderated mediation models were run to explore the association between parent neuroticism and parent distress, mediated by child hyperactivity–inattention and child emotional symptoms, and the moderating effect of living only with child(ren) on the direct and indirect effects of parent neuroticism on parent distress. For parents living only with child(ren), high levels of psychological distress depended exclusively on their levels of neuroticism. For parents living with at least one other person in addition to child(ren), distress levels were also mediated by child behavioral and emotional difficulties. Motherhood emerged as a significant factor contributing to greater distress. Furthermore, parent psychological distress decreased in line with increased child age. The results confirm that neuroticism is an important risk factor for mental health. Preventive measures should be primarily target multicomponent families with younger children and directed towards parents who are already known to present emotional instability and to parents of children who have received local mental health assistance for behavioral and/or emotional difficulties.

Increased Psychological Distress during COVID-19 and Quarantine in Ireland: A National Survey

“…It is well reported in the literature that externalizing behavior in children is among the most prevalent causes of parental stress across a number of clinical morbidities [32], and quarantine, social isolation, school closure, and reduced access to routine coping strategies may result in greater parental stress. However, such a conclusion cannot be drawn from this study [25,26]. A further limitation is the lack of male participants (16.4%), which future research could aim to recruit specifically, as this may implicate the generalizability of the findings.…”

“…Mental health risks associated with COVID-19 have yet to be systematically studied; however, the emerging literature on COVID-19 as well as previous studies on infectious disease outbreaks provide insights into probable risk factors and correlates of mental health challenges and chronic psychological distress [24]. There is also emerging evidence that specific members of society, e.g., parents, may be experiencing additional psychological distress due to increased and unstable financial demands, school closures, and suspended recreational outlets, which would have support personal and familial coping [25,26]. A better classification and quantification of mental health and psychological needs following COVID-19 will allow for the appropriate consideration of therapeutic frameworks, service-based funding considerations, intervention integration through non-routine modalities, and to consider service models and accessibility for those vulnerable and in need [27].…”

A 2-Month Follow-Up Study of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…One interpretation of this could be that children are a source of positive emotions, and they may motivate parents to take initiative and have trust in the future; in this way, parents may derive personal value from the parental role. Furthermore, the complex task of childcare throughout the lockdown period may have protected parents against depressive feelings (or an awareness of these feelings), as measured by the DASS-21 (e.g., "I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything"); however, it may have nonetheless led parents to experience greater distress or exhaustion [29][30][31].…”

Mothers Daily Perceived Stress Influences their Children’s Mental Health During SARS-CoV-2-pandemic

“…In addition, parents perceived their children to be more insecure, anxious and isolated than before the current situation. Furthermore, they report about increasing sleep disorders, nightmares, loss of appetite, restlessness, inattentiveness and fear of separation [13,14,15,16].…”

“…In addition, experience from previous economic recessions has shown that factors like unemployment, decreasing income, excessive debt and parental history of psychological stress pose a serious threat to the mental health of a family like for example a decrease in mental well-being, an increasing rate of various mental disorders, substance-related disorders or suicidal behavior [3,18,19,20]. The current pandemic, however, demonstrably harbors the risk of increasing psychological stress for parents reinforced by factors such as economic hardship, like a reduction in the scope of parental employment and thus difficulties in covering basic needs [16,21]. Whereas, especially in times of paramount stress and uncertainty triggered by a pandemic, in particular young children severely need a secure and stable family environment [22].…”