ABSTRACT
Background: Families with young children have faced serious challenges during the first lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to remote working, parents have had to monitor their children's schoolwork and manage their daily lives. When one of the children also has neuro-developmental disorders, this results in an increased burden. We can therefore wonder how these families with one or more young children (under 6 years old) with special needs have experienced and dealt with this lockdown. Aim of the Study: In this context, the "COVJEUNENFANT" study focused more specifically on the subjective experience, as a parent, of those who cared for children with special needs (i.e., with developmental disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, proven disabilities or chronic health conditions) compared to the general population. We wished to see if the consequences of the health crisis were significantly different from those perceived by respondents in the general population (n = 490) and if the sociodemographic structure of these families differed from those of other respondents. Methods: Ninety three French families with at least one child under 6 years old and one with developmental difficulties or a chronic illness, from a cohort of 490 control families, participated in a web-based survey during the first lockdown, from the 28th April 2020 to 29th May 2020. Results: After presenting the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, the results show that these French families (n = 93) are less wealthy than the control population "without special needs" (n = 397), have felt more pressures originating from their environment (families, friends, colleagues, media, social networks ), have suffered from more health issues (other than COVID-19), have taken more measures to protect themselves (social-distancing), and were less likely to feel happy. A significantly larger number of them lamented the lack of free time and voiced a larger need for information regarding children's education. However, their parental role was felt as being more satisfying and their family relations strengthened more than in the general population of participants. Conclusion: It is apparent that urgent prioritisation is needed in order to support and care for these families by continuing to provide care for their children in one way or another, and by ensuring that their need to adapt again does not exceed their own abilities and resources, especially as young children, who have high levels of requirements, are present in the home.
ABSTRACT
Résumé Introduction: Dans le cadre de la pandémie liée à la COVID-19, l’Etat français a mis en place des mesures de confinement obligeant les parents à rester chez eux avec leurs enfants, tout en assurant, en plus des tâches quotidiennes et du travail, leur scolarité. Objectif: L’objectif de cette publication est de présenter les modifications des relations parents-enfants et entre conjoints pendant cette période et leurs principales sources selon les parents. Méthode: Un questionnaire en ligne du 28 avril 2020 au 29 mai 2020 a permis le recueil des données de 490 familles françaises ayant au moins un enfant de moins de six ans. Une analyse de contenu du corpus discursif a été réalisée avec le logiciel NVivo (version 10). Un traitement statistique quantitatif (réalisé par le logiciel STATA, version 16.1) a testé les relations entre les variables sociodémographiques, ainsi que celles relatives au vécu des parents, et les relations intrafamiliales « tendues » et « renforcées ». Résultats: Si pour 33,3% des répondants, les relations familiales ne se sont pas modifiées, elles se sont renforcées pour 42,5% et tendues pour près d'un quart (24,3%). Conclusion: Comprendre les sources des tensions vécues par les familles de jeunes enfants pendant le confinement, ainsi que ce qui a permis à d’autres familles de mieux vivre cette situation, peut permettre une mise en place de mesures visant à prendre en charge les conséquences du mal-être généré par la vie confinée et à éviter de troubles psychologiques ultérieurs lors de possibles prochains confinements. Introduction: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the French state implemented containment measures requiring parents to stay at home with their children, while ensuring, in addition to daily tasks and work, their schooling. Objective: The objective of this publication is to present the modifications of parent-child and spousal relationships during this period and on their main sources according to the parents. Method: An online questionnaire from 28 April 2020 to 29 May 2020 collected data from 490 French families with at least one child from birth to six years old. A content analysis of the discursive corpus was carried out with NVivo software (version 10). Quantitative statistical processing (using STATA software, version 16.1) tested the relationships between socio-demographic variables, as well as those relating to the parents' experiences, and "strained" and "strengthened" intrafamily relationships. Results: While for 33.3% of the respondents, family relationships did not change, they became stronger for 42.5% and tense for almost a quarter (24.3%). Conclusion: Understanding the sources of tension experienced by families of young children during lockdown, as well as what enabled other families to better cope with this situation, may enable measures to be implemented to deal with the consequences of the discomfort generated by the lockdown and to avoid further psychological problems during possible future ones.