ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on people worldwide, yet the psychological impact of collective traumas may differ at the individual and societal level. Parents may be exposed to greater pandemic-related stressors, yet also are more likely than non-parents to have social interactions during social distancing mandates. Furthermore, varying degrees of pandemic severity in countries may alter the adverse outcomes of pandemic stressors on psychopathology across nations. The purpose of this investigation was to cross-nationally explore how COVID-19 stress exposure relates to psychological distress and whether the association differed by parental status and nationality. Individuals from the United States (n = 2449) and Italy (n = 579) completed assessments measuring traumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and COVID-19-related stressors. COVID-19-related stressors were positively associated with traumatic stress and depressive symptoms. The association between COVID-19-related stressors and psychological distress did not differ by parental status or nationality. We also found that being a young adult, having a lower educational status, not being a parent, and being Italian were related to exposure to COVID-19-related stressors. We discuss these findings and their implications for our understanding of unique contexts that may pose as risk or resiliency factors during a global collective trauma, particularly on parental psychological distress as a way of promoting whole-family wellness.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Since March 2020, millions of children have been confined to their homes and restricted from in-person activities, radically changing the dynamics of parent-child relationships. This study examines the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact and the mental health of parents and school-aged children; specifically, whether qualities of the parent-child relationship moderated the relationship between parents' emotional health (EH) and children's emotional and behavioral health (EBH). METHODS: Data from this Internet-based study of a community sample were collected in March-May 2020. Parents (N = 158, 92.4% White, 96.2% female) reported on COVID-19 impacts, their own EH, perceptions of their relationship with their eldest child between 6 and 12 years-old, and the EBH of that child. RESULTS: Responses to questions about COVID-19 impact were assigned weighted values and used to create a COVID-19 impact scale. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that greater COVID-19 impact was associated with greater parents' EH issues only, and parents' EH was a significant positive predictor of children's EBH. Positive qualities and conflict in the parent-child relationship moderated the link between parents' and children's EH. At higher levels of relationship conflict and lower levels of positivity, there were stronger positive associations between parents' and children's EH. Parent-child relationship quality did not moderate the association between parents' EH and children's behavioral health (BH). CONCLUSIONS: These cross-sectional study results suggest that beyond focusing on symptom management, families may benefit from supports targeting the parent-child relationship. Insights and implications for practitioners are discussed.