Parental mental health and child anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Latin America

Abstract

This study examined parents’ ( N = 10,141, 64% women) reports of their and their childrens’ depression, anxiety, and stress in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. The data come from the COVID‐19 Family Life Study (Ben Brik, 2020) and cohort recruited between April and December 2020. Participants completed online surveys that included the DASS‐21 and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Our findings indicate that socio‐economically disadvantaged families fared worse in mental health during the early phases of the COVID‐19 pandemic compared with families with more social and economic resources. Mothers reported higher anxiety, depression, and stress compared with fathers. Parents of adolescents and adolescents fared worse than did families with younger children. Parental physical activity was associated with better parent and child mental health of anxiety symptoms. We discuss the need to address the adverse impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health in families in Latin America via coordinated mental health and psychosocial support services that are integrated into the pandemic response currently and after the pandemic subsides.

2020 COVID-19-Related Lockdown: the Relationships Between Coping Strategies, Psychological Adjustment and Resilience Among a Non-clinical Sample of British Adults

“…Being in a relationship and caring for someone else have been shown to be protective factors against adversity, whilst unemployment and financial concerns appeared as risk factors for resilience and emotional well-being (Coulombe et al, 2020). The study findings, however, contrast evidence indicating that parental responsibility during the pandemic was associated with emotional distress, in particular among parents of adolescent children (Ben Brik et al, 2022).…”

Family Health among Families with Primary School Children during the COVID Pandemic in Thailand, 2022

“…Public health measures aimed at controlling the spread of the disease and reducing infected cases and deaths have also caused negative impacts on people’s health and well-being globally. Evidence suggests that social isolation due to travel restrictions, social distancing, and school closures has produced negative impacts on the mental health of both school children and their parents [ 4 , 5 ]. Compared to children in other age groups, primary school children have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic, as school closures have led to several changes in their physical and social environments, which consequently affects their mental health.…”

“…For instance, previous literature has shown that primary school children have been affected by public health restriction measures in various ways, including physical activities, sleeping patterns, eating habits, and psychological responses, as well as mental health issues, which include difficulty in concentrating, boredom, irritability, restlessness, nervousness, feelings of loneliness, uneasiness, and worries [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In addition, depression, anxiety, and stress have been reported among parents who take care of their school-aged children [ 5 ].…”

Physical Activity During the Corona Period and Its Relationship with the Physical and Mental Health of Children and Adolescents

“…Experimental evidence supports a clear inverse relationship between moderate exercise training and the incidence of numerous mental and physical health problems (10,13,21,22,(26)(27)(28)32). So, we mainly recommend moderate-intensity exercise training for healthy and asymptomatic children.…”

“…In the study of Ghorbani et al (19), most Iranian adolescents reported symptoms of mild-to-moderate mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Ben Brik et al (32) reported that parental physical activity was associated with better parent and child mental health and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Regarding the effects of decreased physical activity levels on physical health in children and adolescents, most of the observed problems included overweight and obesity and increased BMI (13), negative effects on glycemic control (33), musculoskeletal pain (34), and joint problems (35).…”