Mechanisms of parental distress during and after the first COVID-19 lockdown phase: A two-wave longitudinal study

Abstract

Background In these unpredictable times of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, parents worldwide are affected by the stress and strain caused by the physical distancing protocols that have been put in place. Objective In a two‐wave longitudinal survey, we investigated the levels of parental stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a sample of parents at two time points; during the implementation of the strictest physical distancing protocols following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1, N = 2,868) and three months after the discontinuation of the protocols (T2, N = 1,489). Further, we investigated the relationships between parental stress and anxiety and depression relative to relationship quality and anger toward their children at the two aforementioned time points, including subgroups based on age, parental role, cultural background, relationship status, education level, number of children, employment status and pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. Methods and findings Parents were asked to fill out a set of validated questionnaires on the two measurement points. Parental stress significantly decreased from T1 to T2, indicating that the cumulative stress that parents experienced during the implementation of the distancing protocols declined when the protocols were phased out. The decrease of perceived parental stress was accompanied by a significant decrease in the symptoms of both depression and anxiety among the participating parents. Symptoms meeting the clinical cut-offs for depression (23.0%) and generalized anxiety disorder (23.3%) were reported among participating parents at T1, compared to 16.8% and 13.8% at T2, respectively. The reduction in depression and anger toward their child(ren) from T1 to T2 was associated with a reduction of parental stress. Relationship quality and anger toward their child(ren) at T1 further predicted a change in the level of parental stress from T1 to T2. Conclusions The study underlines the negative psychological impacts of the implementation of the distancing protocols on parents’ health and well-being. Uncovering the nature of how these constructs are associated with parents and families facing a social crisis such as the ongoing pandemic may contribute to the design of relevant interventions to reduce parental distress and strengthen parental coping and resilience.

Mechanisms associated with the trajectory of depressive and anxiety symptoms: A linear mixed-effects model during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Such strategies have previously been found to be fruitful in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression in non-pandemic settings (e.g., Morgan et al, 2017 ). Other vulnerable subgroups than those identified in the present study have also been noted in the literature, such as adolescents and parents (e.g., Commodari & La Rosa, 2020 ; Johnson et al, 2021 ), collectively highlighting the necessity to direct increased efforts toward groups that are more skewedly affected by the pandemic.…”

Comparison of the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Saudi Nationals Arriving from Abroad During Institutional Quarantine and a Year Later: An Analytical Cross-Sectional and Follow-Up Study

“…One-year post quarantine, depression levels were significantly associated with both marital and employment status of the study participants while stress levels were significantly associated with participants' educational levels as illustrated in the results section. These two factors were radically affected due to COVID-19 pandemic, and apparently there is an association between one's marital status, employment status and their psychological health as implied in the present study and other studies with agreed findings [18,19]. On the contrary, a conducted study in Nepal reported different results as they found anxiety and depression were independent of the participants sociodemographic factors [20].…”

“…None of the included individuals had severe stress during quarantine or one year later, however, a significant reduction of 8% was observed in the prevalence of moderately stressed persons between the two measurements. another study employing parents to assess their psychological well-being during and after strict protocols related to the pandemic, and the perceived results showed significant decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms [18].…”

Mechanisms associated with the trajectory of depressive and anxiety symptoms: A linear mixed-effects model during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Such strategies have previously been found to be fruitful in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression in non-pandemic settings (e.g., Morgan et al, 2017). Other vulnerable subgroups than those identified in the present study have also been noted in the literature, such as adolescents and parents (e.g., Commodari & La Rosa, 2020;Johnson et al, 2020;Johnson et al, 2021), collectively highlighting the necessity to direct increased efforts toward groups that are more skewedly affected by the pandemic.…”