“Let’s Not Pretend It’s Fun”:  How COVID-19-Related School and Childcare Closures are Damaging Mothers’ Well-Being

Calarco, Jessica McCrory; Anderson, Elizabeth; Meanwell, Emily; Knopf, Amelia

doi:10.31235/osf.io/jyvk4

Cited by 90 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…Total scores ranged 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater stress. Total scores were categorized to describe parents who experienced low stress (0-13), moderate stress (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26), and high stress (27-40) based on previously established cutoff values (22)(23)(24)(25). Parenting-specific stress was assessed at each timepoint: parents reported if their parenting-specific stress increased, decreased, or remained the same since before COVID-19 (at T1) and since May 2020 (at T2).…”

Section: Perceived Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents are stressed! Patterns of parent stress across COVID-19

Adadms

Smith

Caccavale

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused numerous unexpected challenges for many families, and these long-lasting demands likely contribute to higher stress for parents. The aim of this study was to describe changes in parent stress longitudinally from before (retrospective) to two timepoints during COVID-19. Stressors that influenced parenting and strategies to manage parenting difficulties at each timepoint during COVID-19 are also described.Methods: Parents (N=433; 95% female) in the US with >1 child aged 5-18 years completed an online survey in May 2020 (T1; at the peak of stay-at-home mandates) and in September 2020 (T2; children’s return to school). Surveys included the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and questions on parenting-specific stress, stressors that influenced parenting, and strategies to manage parenting difficulties during COVID-19. Retrospective report of pre-COVID-19 stress was assessed at T1; current stress was assessed at T1 and T2. Repeated measures analysis of variance examined changes in stress over time.Results: Parent’s stress increased from before COVID-19 to T1 (PSS score: 16.3±5.7 to 22.0±6.4, respectively; p<0.01), and decreased by T2 (19.2±6.0), but remained elevated above pre-COVID-19 values (p<0.01). Most parents (71.1%) reported an increase parenting-specific stress from before COVID-19 to T1, which continued to increase for 55% of parents at T2. Common stressors that impacted parenting during COVID-19 were changes in children’s routines, worry about COVID-19, and online schooling demands. Common strategies parents used to manage parenting difficulties included doing family activities together, keeping in touch with family/friends virtually, and keeping children on daily routines. Conclusions: Parent stress increased substantially during COVID-19 and has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, suggesting the need for enhanced mental health resources and supports. Public health interventions should address parenting-specific stressors and effective strategies for managing parenting difficulties to mitigate their deleterious impact.

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Section: Perceived Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents are stressed! Patterns of parent stress across COVID-19

Adadms

Smith

Caccavale

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…The findings in this study expand the working mother literature by illustrating the experiences of working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results highlight that pre-pandemic challenges for working mothers were exacerbated by the worldwide health crisis (Calarco et al, 2020;Collins et al, 2021;Lyttelton, 2020;Raile et al, 2020). And participants provided poignant examples of how the burden of managing the pandemic's impact on work and family life has fallen disproportionately on mothers (Raile et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Working Mothers: A Phenomenological Study

Hermann¹,

Neale-McFall²,

Man³

2021

WJEH

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In this phenomenological study, we explored the experiences of 13 working mothers in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this crisis, mothers in the workforce encountered barriers to their success. Study findings reflect that these challenges have been exacerbated during the pandemic as women experienced increased childcare and other second shift responsibilities. Results highlight participants’ strategies for navigating pandemic-related disruptions. Participants’ experiences further amplify the need for revision of women’s second shift expectations as well as better support for mothers in the workforce.

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“…Recent reports share findings on the struggles mothers, especially working mothers, have encountered during the period of stay home orders (e.g. Calarco et al, 2020). In a similar vein, women who care for children within and outside of the home, are constantly carrying out invisible labor.…”

Section: Precarity Invisible Labor and Care For The Caregiversmentioning

confidence: 86%

Child care and COVID: Precarious communities in distanced times

Swadener

Peters

Bentley

et al. 2020

Global Studies of Childhood

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Drawing from an analysis of responses to COVID affecting the ECCE sector in the US, including the narratives of early childhood educators, we engage with several questions. These include: How is care work with children constructed and affected by COVID-19? How might current responses and policies be understood through the lens of social citizenship and the collective/the individual? How do these issues reflect the precarity of the ECCE sector? How are embodied and emotional aspects of care work manifesting in early educator/caregiver lives in the time of the pandemic? Who is caring for the caregivers and what care may be needed? How can we re-imagine the care of ourselves, and in relation to an ethics of care for the other?

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“Let’s Not Pretend It’s Fun”: How COVID-19-Related School and Childcare Closures are Damaging Mothers’ Well-Being

Cited by 90 publications

References 50 publications

Parents are stressed! Patterns of parent stress across COVID-19

Parents are stressed! Patterns of parent stress across COVID-19

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Working Mothers: A Phenomenological Study

Child care and COVID: Precarious communities in distanced times

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