The Impact of Parental Stress on Italian Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The challenges and consequences of COVID-19 imposed massive changes in adolescents’ daily routines (e.g., school closures, home confinement, and social distancing rules), which impacted their mental health. This longitudinal study aimed to better understand the changes in adolescents’ internalizing symptoms and the underlying mechanisms of parental stress due to COVID-19. We asked 1053 parents of adolescents to complete an online survey during the second and fifth weeks and at the end of home confinement (i.e., four weeks later). Results showed that parents reported their adolescents’ anxiety and depression symptoms were more severe at Time 2 than at the first administration. Anxiety symptoms slightly decreased at Time 3, while there was no significant change in depression symptoms. Moreover, parents’ expressive suppression mediated the association between parental stress and adolescents’ anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. The findings suggest that as restriction increased, adolescents’ anxiety and depression became more severe. Moreover, due to the link between parental stress and adolescents’ internalizing disorders helping families to cope with the distress due to the pandemic may have a positive impact on parents, the child, and the family as a whole (i.e., the family climate).

The impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health and treatment considerations

“…Numerous studies have reported increased rates of anxiety and stress among adults during this pandemic, however, parents/caregivers, caregivers of adults, and those in both roles, have reported significantly worse mental health compared with those without caregiving roles ( Czeisler et al, 2021 ). Approximately 1 in 4 parents reported worsening mental health during the pandemic and many parents have found themselves overwhelmed with having to juggle home school with work demands as well as other household and family commitments ( Liang et al, 2021 ). Parental stress has been particularly high among single-adult households, low-income families, and in families where children have special educational needs or neurodevelopmental disorders ( Hu & Qian, 2021; Summers et al, 2021 ).…”

Students’ Wellbeing during Transition from Onsite to Online Education: Are There Risks Arising from Social Isolation?

“…The lack of practice in taking online exams, along with the stress caused by various factors (stable Internet connection, examination method, the examiner’s ability to understand and empathise, the ability to use online platforms, respecting the time frame, including sending/attaching the exam sheet, etc. ), can generate negative, unpredictable and massive changes in daily routines and their mental health [ 79 ].…”

Parent–Child Relationships, Digital Media Use and Parents’ Well-Being during COVID-19 Home Confinement: The Role of Family Resilience

“…The recent COVID-19 global pandemic can be considered as a historical catastrophic event that has affected individuals’ well-being and their significant relational contexts. In fact, research carried out during the pandemic has extensively examined parental stress and associated risks, such as parental burnout [ 16 ], and the implications for parent–child relationships as well as for children’s and adults’ mental health, especially during home confinement and isolation [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Families with young children experienced more challenges compared with adults with older or no children due to the closure of schools and childcare services [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Parents with preschool children perceived more stress related to staying at home during the quarantine and doing repetitive activities every day [ 22 ]. In families with adolescents, the impact of home confinement had consequences for children’s mental health in terms of increased anxiety and depression; however, the increase of these symptoms was correlated with parental stress [ 20 ]. Family structure variables, such as the number of children living at home, have also being associated to higher level of parental stress during home confinement [ 38 ].…”