Mothers' Preferences for Their Children's Format for Return to School During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: Are There Differences Between Full-Time Employed Mothers and Mothers Who are Not Employed?

The present study assessed factors associated with maternal preferences for their children's educational format (i.e., completely in-person, completely online/remote, or hybrid of in-person and online/remote) for return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these associations differed between full-time employed mothers and mothers who were not employed. Participants were 911 mothers of school-aged children from the United States (full-time employed, n = 650;not employed, n = 261). Recruitment took place online via social media during Summer 2020. Questionnaires on school modality preference, maternal work status, and demographic characteristics were filled out online through Qualtrics. Compared to mothers who were not employed, full-time employed mothers were more likely to endorse a preference for a hybrid in-person and online/remote educational format for their children and less likely to endorse a preference for a completely online/remote educational format for their children. The factor most strongly associated with maternal preferences for their children's educational format for return to school in both groups of mothers was being worried about my child getting COVID-19 and their health being severely impacted (rs's ranged from −56 to −58;p <.01). Regardless of maternal employment status, this factor continued to have the strongest association with a maternal preference for a completely online educational format in the polynomial regression analysis after controlling for relevant demographic variables (Odds Ratios ranged from 3.63 to 37.64;p <.01). These findings highlight that concerns about child health during the COVID-19 pandemic influence maternal preferences for their children's educational format, regardless of maternal employment status.

Maternal Attitudes and Intentions About the COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Aged 5-11 Years.

INTRODUCTION: The current study assessed maternal attitudes and intention about the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years since the onset of the Delta variant and examined if the Delta variant changed maternal perceptions about COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 precautions for children. METHOD: Participants were 821 mothers (mean age = 40.11 years; 84.3% White) from the United States who had at least one child aged 5-11 years old. They were recruited online and completed questionnaires on Qualtrics (Provo, UT) about their youngest children aged 5-11 years. RESULTS: Most mothers (n = 595; 72.6%) reported they were very likely to have their child vaccinated for COVID-19 once a vaccine is available for children. After controlling for maternal and child factors, maternal trust in the COVID-19 vaccine development and approval process (odds ratio [OR] = 35.07; p < .001) was associated with maternal likelihood of having one's child vaccinated for COVID-19. DISCUSSION: Our findings highlight that one strategy for increasing maternal intent to have one's child vaccinated for COVID-19 may be bolstering maternal trust in the COVID-19 development and approval process.

Mothers’ Preferences for Their Children’s Format for Return to School During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: Are There Differences Between Full-Time Employed Mothers and Mothers Who are Not Employed?

The present study assessed factors associated with maternal preferences for their children?s educational format (i.e., completely in-person, completely online/remote, or hybrid of in-person and online/remote) for return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these associations differed between full-time employed mothers and mothers who were not employed. Participants were 911 mothers of school-aged children from the United States (full-time employed, n = 650;not employed, n = 261). Recruitment took place online via social media during Summer 2020. Questionnaires on school modality preference, maternal work status, and demographic characteristics were filled out online through Qualtrics. Compared to mothers who were not employed, full-time employed mothers were more likely to endorse a preference for a hybrid in-person and online/remote educational format for their children and less likely to endorse a preference for a completely online/remote educational format for their children. The factor most strongly associated with maternal preferences for their children?s educational format for return to school in both groups of mothers was being worried about my child getting COVID-19 and their health being severely impacted (rs?s ranged from ?56 to ?58;p < .01). Regardless of maternal employment status, this factor continued to have the strongest association with a maternal preference for a completely online educational format in the polynomial regression analysis after controlling for relevant demographic variables (Odds Ratios ranged from 3.63 to 37.64;p < .01). These findings highlight that concerns about child health during the COVID-19 pandemic influence maternal preferences for their children?s educational format, regardless of maternal employment status.

Maternal Factors Associated with Family Social Distancing Practices During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Despite social distancing being an effective method for mitigating community transmission of viruses, little is known about factors associated with social distancing practices among children and their families. The current study assessed maternal socio-demographic characteristics and political party identifications associated with family social distancing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Participants in this study were 1266 mothers (mean age = 39.92 years; 84.9% white) of children ages 17 years and younger from across the United States. They were recruited online through social media platforms and completed questionnaires on Qualtrics about their family's social distancing practices and socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Women with a Doctorate (mean = 35.37; SD = 4.24) and Master's (mean = 34.26; SD = 5.70) degree reported higher levels of family social distancing compared to women with some college (mean = 31.11; SD = 8.11) or a college degree (mean = 32.62; SD = 6.91; p's = .00). Women who identified as Democrat (mean = 35.92; SD = 3.30) or Independent (mean 34.13; SD = 5.63), or indicated not identifying with a political party (mean = 34.19; SD = 5.69), reported higher levels of family social distancing compared to women who identified as Republican (mean = 29.70; SD = 8.12; p's = .00). The largest effect was found between women who identified as Democrat and Republican (effect size = 1.00). After controlling for relevant predictor variables, maternal education (standardized beta coefficient = .116; p = .000), race (standardized beta coefficient = .072; p = .007), and political party identification (standardized beta coefficient = - .348; p = .000) were significantly correlated with the Social Distancing Total Score. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: The current findings suggest there may be a benefit to COVID-19 public health campaigns targeting families with lower educational attainment and more conservative regions in the United States.

Factors Associated with Caregiver Preferences for Children's Return to School during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to understand caregiver preferences for their children's instructional format for the start of the 2020 to 2021 academic year. The purpose of the current study was to assess caregiver preferences for on-campus versus virtual learning at home during the fall and factors associated with these preferences. METHODS: Participants were caregivers of 4436 children and adolescents who were enrolled in pre-kindergarten through high school at a large, public school district in Texas. Caregivers were asked to complete an anonymous, online survey about their initial preferences for their student's back to the school learning environment. RESULTS: Caregivers of high- and middle-school students were more likely to endorse a preference for an on-campus/virtual hybrid instructional format and less likely to endorse a preference for a traditional, face-to-face instructional format compared to caregivers of elementary school students. Regardless of the school level, concerns about child health and safety were the factor most strongly associated with caregiver preferences for on-campus versus virtual learning at home during the fall. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the importance of school re-opening plans offering virtual options and addressing caregiver concerns about children's health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physical activity moderates the association between parenting stress and quality of life in working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Working mothers are a population experiencing heightened levels of parenting stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the associations between parenting stress, quality of life, and physical activity in a national sample of working mothers who endorsed having been forced to work from home full-time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and examine if physical activity moderates the association between parenting stress and quality of life in this sample of working mothers. METHODS: Participants in this cross-sectional study were 200 full-time working mothers from the United States (mean age = 33.50 years; SD = 6.25; 70.0% White). Participants were recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version, the Parental Stress Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS: After controlling for socio-demographic variables (i.e., maternal marital status, annual income, maternal highest level of education), greater parenting stress was associated with poorer maternal quality of life across domains (standardized beta coefficients ranged from -0.26 to -0.47; p < .001). The interaction between parenting stress and moderate intensity physical activity was associated with social relationships quality of life and environment quality of life (standardized beta coefficients ranged from 0.15 to 0.17; p < .05) in our sample of working mothers. The negative effect of parenting stress on maternal social relationships and environmental quality of life was weaker for working mothers who engaged in higher levels of moderate intensity physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that moderate intensity physical activity may attenuate the negative impact of parenting stress on social relationships and satisfaction with one's environment in working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.