Parents’ Self-Reported Psychological Impacts of COVID-19: Associations With Parental Burnout, Child Behavior, and Income

Abstract

Objective The current study investigates associations between parents’ perceived coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) psychological impacts and experiences of parental burnout, children’s behaviors, and income. Methods Data were collected during an online survey of parents’ ( N = 1000) pandemic experiences in April 2020. Parents ( M = 36.5 years old, SD = 6.0; 82.1% White) with at least one child 12 years or younger reported on measures of mental health, perceived COVID-19 impacts, parental burnout, and perceived increases in children’s stress and positive behaviors. Results Path model analyses revealed that parents who perceived increased psychological impacts from COVID-19 reported higher levels of parental burnout, greater increases in children’s stress behaviors, and less positive behavior in children. Additionally, there were significant indirect effects of parental burnout on the link between COVID-19 psychological impacts and children’s behaviors. Finally, family income moderated associations between psychological impacts and children’s stress behaviors, such that the association was stronger for families with lower income. Conclusions These results suggest parents’ perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health has implications for parent and child well-being, with stronger associations for low-income families. Given the potential for spillover effects between parents and children, promoting family well-being through practice and policy initiatives is crucial, including providing financial and caregiving relief for parents, and mental and behavioral health support for families.

In their own words: Child and adolescent perceptions of caregiver stress during early COVID-19

“…Caregivers must be well-supported and feel connected in order to be perceived by their children as emotional and instrumental support ( Kenigsberg et al, 2016 ), and children's negative perceptions of parental neglect and control are correlated with an increased risk of subsequent diagnosis of psychiatric disorders ( Young et al, 2011 ). Given the dynamic interplay between caregiver distress and child well-being ( Babore et al, 2021 ; Bate et al, 2021 ; Kerr et al, 2021 ; Vaterlaus et al, 2021 ), policies and programs that aim to improve children's mental and behavioral health should include family-based therapies that address caregiver stress and promote mental health of the family, rather than treat children in isolation. The complex systems in which children interact including their family environments and further layered social, built, and natural environments can be leveraged to foster multisystemic resilience ( Ungar & Theron, 2020 ).…”

“…As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, families face increased financial strain and decreased support, especially as business closures threaten job security, stay-at-home orders limit social activity and connection, and school closures place an increased childcare and education burden on parents. In particular, family physical and mental health concerns, homeschooling challenges, economic stress, marital conflicts, and intensified parent-child relationships uniquely impact those serving in caregiver roles during COVID-19 ( Kerr et al, 2021 ; Wu & Xu, 2020 ). In addition, disruptions to work and learning and changes to social and daily personal care routines are heightened for caregivers ( Park et al, 2020 ; Russell et al, 2020 ), which can lead to increased caregiver stress and spillover effects to others in the family, particularly children ( Curtis et al, 2000 ; Nelson et al, 2009 ; Seddighi et al, 2021 ; Wood et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Previous studies have illustrated the complex impacts of caregiver distress and shared traumatic exposure on children's psychosocial functioning, with evidence that increased caregiver distress following disaster predicts greater child stress ( Kerns et al, 2014 ; Morris et al, 2019 ) and risk of child maltreatment ( Curtis et al, 2000 ; Lawson et al, 2020 ; Seddighi et al, 2021 ). In particular, many recent studies have highlighted the psychological effects of COVID-19 on children ( Babore et al, 2021 ; Bhogal et al, 2021 ; Jiao et al, 2020 ; Korte et al, 2021 ; Kudinova et al, 2021 ), with important insights on the relationship linking children's well-being with that of their caregivers ( Babore et al, 2021 ; Bate et al, 2021 ; Kerr et al, 2021 ; Uccella et al, 2021 ). Surveys of caregivers have reported an increase in harsh parenting including yelling and spanking during the pandemic ( Lee & Ward, 2020 ).…”

Associations of mothers’ and fathers’ structure-related food parenting practices and child food approach eating behaviors during the COVID pandemic

“…For example, evidence suggests that stress and mental health struggles may have been uniquely exacerbated for parents [ 29 , 30 ] and children [31] , [32] , [33] . Parents, especially mothers [34] [35] , have assumed additional child care and schooling responsibilities [ 3 , 36 ], resulting in increased parenting-related exhaustion and decreased parental resilience [ 37 , 38 ]. For some families, the pandemic has highlighted or altered relations within co-parenting partnerships, by increasing or otherwise altering the time that partners spend together parenting their children, and/or foregrounding unequal or sub-optimal dynamics around caregiving responsibilities from one or both partner's perspective [39] .…”

The voices of parents in child protective services: A qualitative analysis of families’ struggles with COVID-19

“…Heightened stress generated by COVID-19 may impact parents’ ability to effectively parent and provide childcare ( Connell & Strambler, 2021 ; Janssen et al, 2020 ; Russell, Hutchinson, Tambling, Tomkunas, & Horton, 2020 ), therefore posing a risk to children’s well-being and creating an increased risk of maltreatment ( Font, 2021 ; Nguyen, 2021 ). COVID-19–related studies have reported an increase in mental health problems, such as anxiety and stress ( Bate et al, 2021 ; Bean et al, 2021 ; Caldwell et al, 2020 ; Gayatri & Irawaty, 2021 ; Huang & Ougrin, 2021 ; Kerr, Fanning, Huynh, Botto, & Kim, 2021 ; McFadden et al, 2021 ; de Winter, de Winter, Bollati, & Milani, 2020 ; Wu & Xu, 2020 ). Parenting stress is heightened, particularly in already at-risk families ( Becker et al, 2020 ; Bik-Multanowska, Mikocka-Walus, Fernando, & Westrupp, 2022 ; Miller, Cooley, & Mihalec-Adkins, 2020 ; Miller, Niu, & Moody, 2020 ; Sonnenschein, Stites, Grossman, & Galczyk, 2022 ; Valeriote & Milligan, 2021 ; Yael, Carmit-Noa, Roni, & Shirli, 2022 ), and has been found to result from issues related to remote schooling and worries about health and children’s well-being ( Garbe et al, 2020 ; Goldberg et al, 2021a , 2021b , 2022 ; Wang et al, 2022 ).…”