Differences in traumatic stress among youth with and without chronic medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is the deadliest pandemic in American history. This study aims to assess the differences in youth reported traumatic stress among those with and without chronic illness, and how those reports are impacted by parental level of concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using convenience sampling, parents and their children completed a series of questionnaires focused on demographic information including questions about medical conditions, parental level of concern about COVID-19, and youth-report of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results: Results of the anonymous survey (n = 164) found that parental reported level of concern of COVID-19 significantly predicted youth report of posttraumatic stress symptoms (F(4, 159) = 2.607, p = .038). There was no significant difference in youth-report of posttraumatic stress symptoms between youth with and without chronic medical conditions (F(1, 162) = .438, p = .509). Conclusions: Children often look to their parents for guidance during stressful life events, as confirmed by our findings. Parental emotional and behavioral responses may influence how youth make sense of highly stressful events and should be considered when determining intervention strategies in the COVID-19 era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This study found that youth with and without chronic health conditions did not differ in their report of posttraumatic stress 6 months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, youth report of traumatic stress symptoms was predicted by their parents' level of concern regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their families, suggesting the need for targeted parent-based intervention. Clinical interventions to prevent chronic posttraumatic stress responses in youth regardless of medical comorbidity are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

For the greater good? Bereidheid van ouders om hun kinderen van 5 tot 11 jaar te vaccineren tegen corona

We explored parent's intention to vaccinate their children aged 5–11 against corona and factors influencing this. A survey, including open and closed questions, was distributed among parents (N = 214, 57,8% female) at booster vaccination locations in Rotterdam. The survey was subdivided in three categories: background variables of the participant (parent), background variables of his/her children, determinants of vaccination-intentions and information needs. Results show that 43% of the parents intended to vaccinate their children. Parents attitude towards vaccination was ambivalent, they rated the likelihood for children to get infected with corona relatively high and the severity of corona for children relatively low. The response to potential harmful effects of the vaccine were ambivalent as well. Attitude was the strongest correlate of vaccination-intention and mediated the effects of likelihood, severity and harmfulness. Most parents would take the decision together with the partner, but also with the child. The open questions showed that the most common reason to vaccinate the child was to protect the child or others. Reasons mentioned for not vaccinating the child were mostly worries regarding side-effects and doubts about the added value of vaccinating children. In the discussion, communication and intervention options to enhance vaccination intentions are described. Samenvatting: We hebben onderzocht wat de bereidheid van ouders is om hun kinderen van 5 tot 11 jaar te laten vaccineren tegen corona en factoren die hieraan bijdragen. Op boostervaccinatielocaties in Rotterdam is aan ouders (N = 214, 57,8 % vrouw) een vragenlijst uitgedeeld met open en gesloten vragen. De vragenlijst was onderverdeeld in drie categorieën: achtergrondvariabelen van de deelnemer (ouder), achtergrondvariabelen van zijn/haar kinderen, en determinanten van vaccinatiebereidheid en informatiebehoeften. De resultaten laten zien dat 43,0 % van de ouders bereid was hun kinderen te vaccineren. Ouders hadden een ambivalente attitude ten aanzien van vaccineren, en schatten de kans op corona bij kinderen relatief hoog en de ernst van corona bij kinderen relatief laag in. De visie op schadelijkheid van het vaccin was ambivalent. Attitude was de sterkste voorspeller van vaccinatie-intentie en medieerde de effecten van kans, ernst en schadelijkheid. Veel ouders zouden de beslissing met de partner, maar ook met het kind nemen. In de open vragen gaven ze als redenen om het kind wel te vaccineren vooral dat ze het kind of anderen wilden beschermen. Redenen om het kind niet te vaccineren waren vooral zorgen over bijwerkingen en twijfel over de meerwaarde van het vaccineren van kinderen. De beschouwing beschrijft communicatie- en interventiemogelijkheden om vaccinatiebereidheid te bevorderen.

Birth, death and isolation: Motherhood during a pandemic

This chapter draws out the existential themes that have emerged for mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic and how they have had an impact on their lives. Birth, death and motherhood are all corporeal events which ground people in the physical dimension. Whereas the physical dimension of maternity in the pandemic was dominated by the safety and risk pole of existence for mothers, in the social dimension the focus was on isolation and belonging;and these two dimensions became interconnected. The way in which the issues of mortality and natality, of life and death, were manifested in women during the pandemic was through a preoccupation with the safety and risk pole of existence, which in turn led to worry, anxiety and fear. For women, those wanting to conceive during the pandemic it became a mission of trying to plan for the unknown. For the majority of women, the thought of giving birth is often felt with trepidation and anxiety about what will happen and how the birth will proceed but at the same time excitement and anticipation of finally meeting their baby. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parents' lived experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people across the globe. We explored 11 parents' experiences with the pandemic and identified eight themes: (a) educational experience, (b) navigating roles and responsibilities, (c) recognizing privilege, (d) routine, (e) monitoring and communication about COVID, (f) vacillating emotions, (g) connection, and (h) meaningful experiences. We discuss the themes and implications for counseling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parent perspectives on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in their children

Autism is a disorder that is characterized by struggles with socialization and developmental delays that often involve much guidance and support. The purpose of this study was to explain the experience of parents as they attempted to manage behaviors related to symptoms of autism during the worldwide quarantine prompted by COVID-19.This study aimed to close the gap in literature and explore to see if there were any concerns that could be addressed by future studies. The study was framed aroundBowen's theory, which addresses emotions within a family unit, and the interdependence theory, which addresses how humans thrive to be together and they are dependent on one another. These theories work together in this study to explain the overall emotional experience of the family unit through the eyes of the caregiver. The study was a qualitative study with a descriptive approach that utilized seven semi-structured interviews to explain the individual experience. The data were then analyzed utilizing narrative analysis, using bracketing and clustering. Participants reported much intense emotion over watching their children struggle and experience meltdowns over things that were beyond the caregiver's control. The parents also experienced this additional stress, and it was difficult for them to manage and maintain their own mental health. Findings also suggested that parents continue to want the best for their children, even if access to the appropriate resources is difficult. The study addressed positive social change by calling attention to the inability for parents of children with autism to secure adequate resources,which can result in additional research to increase supports for these families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Families' perception of children's academic performance during the COVID-19 lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many countries to impose a strict lockdown policy on citizens during a prolonged period of time, which led to changes in lifestyle habits. This unprecedented situation has given rise to numerous studies aimed at determining the effects of the changes brought about by this widespread lockdown. One of the important changes was the digitisation of education and, therefore, teaching, which caused a forced and abrupt immersion in distance learning. In this study, a quantitative methodology based on an ex post facto research design was used with the aim of analysing the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the academic performance of schoolchildren (aged 3-12 years). A total of 529 parents completed an ad hoc questionnaire on the impact of COVID-19 on their children's education in Spain. The results produced a robust model based on structural equations that explain 39.7% of the variance in academic performance at home. The family-school relationship was the variable with the greatest explanatory weight ( beta = .505;p < .05). In conclusion, the benefits derived from a strong relationship between families and schools, evidenced by the creation of cooperation and communication links, facilitate the management of shared educational challenges such as on-line education in times of crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) La situacion generada por el obligado confinamiento a la sociedad por la COVID-19 ha llevado, en muchos paises, a cambios en los habitos de vida que han generado numerosos estudios para conocer los efectos de esta nueva situacion social. Un importante cambio fue la digitalizacion del trabajo y, por ende, de la ensenanza, provocando la inmersion forzada en una educacion escolar a distancia de una manera abrupta. Se realizo un estudio empleando metodologia cuantitativa y basado en un diseno ex post facto, con el objetivo de analizar el impacto que ha tenido el confinamiento por COVID-19 en el desempeno de los escolares (de 3 a 12 anos de edad). Un total de 529 participantes completaron el cuestionario CIEN (Cuestionario sobre el Impacto Educativo en la Infancia) sobre impacto educativo de la COVID-19 en sus hijas e hijos escolarizados en Espana. Los resultados arrojaron un modelo robusto basado en ecuaciones estructurales que explico el 39,7% de la varianza en el desempeno escolar en casa, siendo la relacion familia-escuela, la variable que revelo mayor peso explicativo ( beta = .505;p < .05). En conclusion, los beneficios derivados de una relacion entre la familia y la escuela, patente en el establecimiento de lazos de comunicacion y cooperacion, facilitan el afrontamiento de retos educativos compartidos tales como la educacion a distancia en tiempos de COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Difficult situations and ways of coping with them in the experiences of parents homeschooling their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland

The aim of the research project is to present parents' perceptions and experiences related to home education during the coronavirus pandemic, and the ways of coping with difficult situations, taking into account sociodemographic factors. At the end of March and beginning of April this year, a survey was conducted on a group of 278 parents living in Poland - in a large city, small town and in the countryside - and affected by this problem. The findings indicate that a significant group of respondents described the existing situation as difficult, and the responsibilities related to home schooling as being beyond their capabilities. Parents are generally not confident about their competence and solutions they adopt;they express anxiety about the future of their children. Significant differences were observed in the ways of perceiving difficult situations and of coping with them with respect to gender and place of residence. The undertaken research is important because the voices of parents shed light on the problems of Polish education in a crisis situation, and at the same time indicate the direction of necessary changes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Evaluating an online-delivered mindfulness-based stress reduction program for parents of children with externalizing behavior concerns

Many parents experience elevated levels of stress, or the perceived inability to cope with one's situational demands. Parents of children with externalizing behavioral concerns tend to experience even higher levels of stress than parents of children without significant behavior concerns due to the transactional and bidirectional nature of child behavior and parent stress. The Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model suggests that families work to balance demands with capabilities, which interact with family meanings, to achieve adjustment or adaptation. Thus, increasing capabilities is an important task for families experiencing stress. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), rooted in mindfulness theory, is an increasingly popular framework for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. MBSR has been successfully used in many populations including parents to reduce parent stress and even help to improve child outcomes. However, there is a dearth of research on MBSR for parents of children with externalizing behavior concerns. One accessible, research-supported, online-delivered MBSR program is called Be Mindful. Currently, there is no extant research on the effects of this program for parent stress and child behavior outcomes. This hybrid effectiveness-implementation intervention study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of this publicly accessible, online, self-mediated MBSR program (Be Mindful) for reducing parent stress and decreasing child externalizing behavior immediately following completion of the program and at one-month follow-up. Other major aims of the study were to determine whether the online-delivered MBSR intervention was acceptable to parents and to characterize how parents engaged with the MBSR program. Participants included a 38 mothers, fathers, and other primary caretakers of children ages two to ten years with behavioral concerns living across the United States. Children were a community sample presenting with externalizing behavior concerns at or above the at-risk range (raw score >= 115) based on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory whose parents had stress levels at or above the 60th percentile on any domain of the Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition. Parents engaged in the 4-module Be Mindful (MBSR) program for between 4 and 10 weeks and completed pre-, post-, and follow-up adult stress and child behavior measures. Parents also completed usage and satisfaction reports throughout the study. Results of the study provided promising support for the Be Mindful intervention within this particular population: there were robust, statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in both parent stress and externalizing child behavior problems following completion of the intervention that maintained through one-month follow-up. Additionally, participants generally found the intervention to be acceptable and practiced the skills a moderate amount during the intervention phase. Open-ended and quantitative feedback provides information regarding barriers and facilitators to intervention use. These results are important within the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, provide further support for the increasingly popular MBSR framework in an online format, and uniquely examine effects on both parent stress and child behavior in a real-world sample. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Attitudes and the lived experiences of vaccine hesitant parents: A mixed-methods study

Vaccine hesitancy (VH) refers to refusing or delaying vaccinations for reasons other than medical contraindications. Despite the significant benefits vaccines have provided since their invention, VH rates are still high worldwide. This concurrent mixed method study explored attitudes, and the lived experiences of vaccine hesitant parents of children of ages 0 to 18 who sought health care services in a Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. Quantitively results of this study revealed seven attributes of vaccine-hesitant parents: (1) the belief that children should get fewer shots at the same time, (2) concerns about children developing severe side effects from shots, (3) concerns about the safety of vaccines, (4) concerns that shots may not prevent the illnesses they are intended to prevent, (5) children get more shots than necessary, (6) illnesses that shots prevent are not severe, and (7) children should get immunity by getting sick rather than getting shots. Qualitative findings revealed four themes about the lived experiences of vaccine hesitant parents: (1) vaccines are not safe, (2) vaccines are not necessary, (3) parents are not well informed about the vaccines, and (4) children get too many shots. Recommendations for future research include conducting this study in a similar setting using the same methodology in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic and conducting the study in more diversified settings to test the reproducibility of this study's findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

How assessing district response to COVID-19 can lead to positive change

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of students everywhere. This study sought to understand how effective one school district's response was to COVID-19 regarding emergency remote learning from the student and parent perspectives. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of parents and students within the school district who had gone through the emergency remote learning period. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to provide additional resources for the school district to support the growing and changing needs of the community. The Social Opportunities website was created to include a wide variety of organizations and opportunities aimed at increasing access and hopefully improving engagement. Parent and student participants provided critical feedback that assisted in the modification and development of the website in the pursuit of creating a more useful resource for all. The study concluded that there is a need for additional support within the district and that the Social Opportunities website is an efficient avenue to fulfill this need. Implications for the organization included increased engagement among students and families within the school district, an established plan to incorporate the resource within the district, and opportunities for growth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Utilizing animal-assisted interventions to support mental health among children in San Antonio: Exploring knowledge, attitudes, & perceptions among school staff and parents

As the research on early trauma and adverse childhood experiences has grown, the San Antonio, TX community has made significant efforts towards becoming trauma informed and expanding interventions that can help support mental health among children. Among interventions that have been considered or utilized in local school districts are Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), including therapy dog visits and animal-assisted crisis response. Despite the growing use of such interventions, no efforts have been made to understand existing knowledge, attitudes, or perceptions relating to AAIs among school stakeholders. To address this gap, the current research project aimed to investigate current knowledge and perceptions relating to animals and AAIs among school staff using semistructured interviews (Paper 1). A survey was also implemented to investigate parent knowledge of AAIs, attitudes towards animals/pets, and perceptions relating to children's mental health and AAIs in schools (Paper 2).Through convenience and purposive sampling, school staff and parents were recruited from two San Antonio school districts. Given restricted access to school campuses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and staff were contacted via email as a primary method for recruitment. Parent surveys were distributed via email (or sent home with children doing in person learning) and school staff interviews were conducted virtually. Data from interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, while survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Additional analyses were conducted to assess whether there were associations between pet attitudes, knowledge of AAIs/benefits of animals (AAI knowledge), and perceptions of AAIs (AAI perceptions).Paper 1 findings demonstrated that school staff had knowledge of the health benefits of human-animal interactions and perceived AAIs to be supportive of emotional well-being, school values and culture, and social-emotional skills among children. Paper 2 findings demonstrated that parents also had knowledge of benefits and had positive attitudes towards pets, as well as positive perceptions towards AAIs in schools. Additionally, there was a positive association between pet attitudes and AAI perceptions, as well as a positive association between AAI knowledge and AAI perceptions. While findings from both papers demonstrated favor towards the implementation of AAIs, both staff and parents voiced potential concerns or challenges regarding children and animal's safety/well-being that would need to be addressed in the planning phase. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Evaluating online education for gifted students: Parents' views

Due to the effects of a worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, as in many countries, students in Turkey started to have online education since March 2020. Factors such as their motivation and need for learning, and higher cognitive arousal would make it more difficult for gifted students to become away from schools. In this context, this research aimed to examine the experiences of gifted students during the online education process from their parents' viewpoint. The data, obtained from 15 parents via telephone interviews, were analyzed by descriptive interpretive approach, one of the qualitative research methods. The validity and reliability of the data were ensured. According to the results, seven categories emerged: reflections on education, advantages, disadvantages, psychological impacts, solutions, observed emotions, and suggestions. The results were discussed in terms of gifted students' characteristics, previous online education practices, and suggestions for future use of online education for gifted children after the pandemic period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Parents' perceptions: strategies to motivate lower-elementary children's virtual emergency learning during COVID-19

During the 2020-2021 school year, many students were forcibly shifted from traditional in-person learning to virtual emergency response learning (ERL) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this shift, many lower-elementary school students suffered socially, emotionally, and academically due to lack of infrastructure, social isolation, and the loss of direct instruction from educators. Because of this loss, many parents had different responsibilities to their children's social, emotional, and academic well-being. Research has not provided practical, motivational strategies used by parents to motivate their lower-elementary school children during virtual ERL during COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine parents' perceptions on the strategies used to motivate their lower-elementary school students during virtual ERL due to COVID-19. Maslow's theory of human motivation served as the theoretical foundation for this study. A basic qualitative inquiry was used to examine parents' perceptions through developing an interview instrument to collect data from 13 participants through in-depth, one-on-one, semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to code and discover themes. One overarching theme of "Routines & Consistency" and 11 themes outlined the common perceptions of the strategies parents used to motivate their lower-elementary school children during ERL due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results may contribute to positive social change by providing parents with practical motivational strategies to use for their lower-elementary school children in the case of any virtual ERL situations in the future for reasons such as medical emergencies, pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters or home confinement for any reason. . (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parent and healthcare provider beliefs about a chlamydia adolescent vaccine

Introduction: Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide and it disproportionally affects young people and those living in the Southern United States. If left untreated chlamydia infections can lead to complications such as infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease. Currently, chlamydia vaccines are being development. A successful chlamydia immunization program would require adolescents to be vaccinated before engagement in sexual activity and would require parental approval and recommendations from healthcare providers. Therefore, this project aims to explore parent and healthcare provider opinions about chlamydia vaccines to identify potential barriers and facilitators to uptake. Because the COVID-19 pandemic began while developing this project there was a great need to understand parent opinions about a vaccine for adolescents. Therefore, this study also incorporates beliefs about COVID-19 adolescent vaccines.Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with parents of adolescents and healthcare providers. Topics included chlamydia and COVID-19 awareness, opinions on whether a chlamydia vaccine should be developed, willingness to vaccinate adolescents, and vaccine characteristics including efficacy, cost, and boosters. Interviews were conducted and recorded on a web-conferencing platform. Transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.Results: Between January and July 2021, interviews were completed with 21 parents and 22 healthcare providers. The first manuscript describes parents' attitudes about an adolescent chlamydia vaccine. The third manuscript describes healthcare provider opinions on chlamydia adolescent vaccines. The second manuscript describes parents' opinions about COVID-19 vaccines compared to HPV vaccines. Because both COVID-19 and HPV vaccines can prevent serious illness, it is important to identify how beliefs might differ between these vaccines and identify strategies that were successful in promoting uptake.Conclusion: The results from this study will help to improve knowledge about parent and healthcare provider opinions about adolescent vaccines and how to better promote vaccinations before vaccines are available and once, they are available to the public. For example, we found news coverage about COVID-19 and the benefits of vaccination helped to improve vaccine confidence among parents. Therefore, using media to disseminate chlamydia vaccine information could be beneficial and promote uptake. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A quantitative comparative study of perceptions of secondary school students and parents on academic, social, and emotional effects during COVID-19

This research uses a quantitative methodology to explore the perceptions of secondary school students and parents on the academic, social, and emotional effects of COVID-19. During a global pandemic, the study's participants consist of students and parents in a small New Jersey school district. The researcher surveyed students and parents on their perceptions related to specific academic, social, and emotional effects of COVID-19. In total, 112 parents and 112 students agreed to participate in the study. The data analyzed suggests that there were no significant differences between student and parent perceptions during COVID-19. In many instances, they were affected academically, socially, and emotionally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parent perceptions of IEP team support through life-course transitions

Parents of children with moderate to severe disabilities face greater obstacles and challenges in life compared to parents of typically developing children. Life-course transitions for students with disabilities, such as the imminent transition from public school systems to adult life, often elicits stress-induced emotions and perceptions in parents and students. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Individualized Transition Plans (ITPs) are collaboratively developed with input from the student, family, and many different professionals in the school systems. Ensuring students and families are able to access proper supports aligning with postsecondary goals for familial quality of life necessitates collaborative input from all stakeholders. This study explored how parents of students with moderate to severe disabilities perceived the IEP/ITP teams and experiences with systems of support as their children transitioned from high school to post-secondary education. Quality of life domains and transition theory provided the conceptual lens to analyze the experiences and perceptions of 9 families with children who have moderate to severe disabilities and have transitioned their children to postsecondary education. This phenomenological study took place during an unprecedented time of the global COVID-19 pandemic;results illuminated unique stories of transition interwoven with the impacts of the pandemic. Findings from this study corroborate prior studies in transitions and quality of life of families of children with special needs. Self-determination, positive family outlook and perceptions of self, as well as culturally and familial sensitive strategies and supports appropriately initiated by IEP school teams, gleaned more seamless transition experiences for positive familial quality of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

An analysis of the impact of school closings on gifted services: Recommendations for meeting gifted students' needs in a post-COVID-19 world

Gifted support services were directly impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown in Spring 2020. This qualitative research study consisting of parents (n = 110) and gifted support teachers (n = 53) explored the impact on gifted students' services and instruction. Utilizing surveys, open-ended response questions, and in-depth interviews, teachers and parents shared their thoughts and perceptions about challenge, enrichment, and students' social-emotional health throughout the shutdown. Data analysis found that gifted services were directly impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown and parents and teachers shared that challenge and enrichment were lacking. However, data collected also showed that there is much potential to meet students' academic and social-emotional needs virtually. Utilizing the data collected, a model was created to help teachers, parents, and school districts provide challenge, enrichment, and acceleration, as well as address social-emotional concerns in a virtual environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Parental perceptions of child mental health stigma: Mixed-method study

This study considered three main aims of (1) developing and validating a tool to measure parental perceived child mental health (MH) stigma, (2) determining whether perceived stigma levels corresponded in any way to parental identities, and (3) producing a decision-making process flow identifying where barriers such as perceived child MH stigma may affect families dealing with child MH issues. Recruitment of parents/guardians (18 years or older) with children (under the age of 18 years) was done through convenience and respondent-driven sampling in Phoenix, Arizona. A 44-prompt MH stigma tool was developed and validated (N = 65, Cronbach's alpha 0.89) prior to utilizing (N = 623) it to measure levels of perceived child MH stigma in the community. Analysis of variance showed potential significant (p < .005) interactions among education, income, and race/ethnicity (white, non-Hispanic/Latinx and Hispanic/Latinx) and levels of stigma. Specifically, higher education and lower income among the Hispanic/Latinx population in Phoenix showed a greater likelihood for higher levels of perceived child MH stigma. Factor analysis yielded three underlying factors of this stigma: interaction with MH, discrimination, and positive aspects. Content and thematic analysis of free response questions in the survey conveyed parents talk about MH diagnoses differently between general MH and child MH (e.g., child MH included ADD/ADHD while general MH included anxiety and schizophrenia). Fifteen, one hour-long, semi-structured interviews were completed, transcribed, and analyzed using narrative analysis to develop a parental decision-making process flow. The resulting flow showed parents went through informal methods of accessing MH care (e.g., research, awareness of MH issue) prior to formal methods such as seeking medical experts or school support. While the study was able to address these three aims, a significant shift in the landscape of MH occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing child MH risk and decreasing care access. This study developed a tool and set of methods that may be applied to identify changes in perceived child MH stigma and in how parents make decisions to access child MH care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The predictive role of parental attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and child vulnerability: A multi-country study on the relationship between parental vaccine hesitancy and financial well-being.

Background and purpose: Recent new mutations and increases in transmission of COVID-19 among adolescents and children highlight the importance of identifying which factors influence parental decisions regarding vaccinating their children. The current study aims to explore whether child vulnerability and parents' attitudes toward vaccines mediate the association between perceived financial well-being and vaccine hesitancy among parents. Method: A predictive, cross-sectional, multi-country online questionnaire was administered with a convenience sample of 6,073 parents (Australia, 2,734; Iran, 2,447; China, 523; Turkey, 369). Participants completed the Parent Attitude About Child Vaccines (PACV), the Child Vulnerability Scale (CVS), a Financial Well-being (FWB) measure, and Parental Vaccine Hesitancy (PVH) questionnaire. Results: The current study revealed that perceived financial well-being had significant and negative associations with parents' attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and child vulnerability among the Australian sample. Contrary to the Australian findings, results from Chinese participants indicated that financial well-being had significant and positive predictive effects on parent attitudes toward vaccines, child vulnerability, and parental vaccine hesitancy. The results of the Iranian sample revealed that parents' attitudes toward vaccines and child vulnerability significantly and negatively predicted parental vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: The current study revealed that a parents' perceived financial well-being had a significant and negative relationship with parental attitudes about vaccines and child vulnerability; however, it did not significantly predict parental vaccine hesitancy among Turkish parents as it did for parents in Australia, Iran, and China. Findings of the study have policy implications for how certain countries may tailor their vaccine-related health messages to parents with low financial wellbeing and parents with vulnerable children.

Identifying parent anxiety and family distress of critically ill children in response to changes in hospital visitation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic

This research study describes parent anxiety and family distress among three study groups of varying restrictions in parent presence for children in the PICU during a pandemic. A retrospective study was conducted to describe differences in parent anxiety and family distress for parents of children hospitalized before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants fell into three study groups based on the dates of the child's hospital stay and the level of parent and family presence or restriction they experienced. Participants were asked to complete a survey that included basic demographic information along with utilization of the GAD-7 and FDI measures. The data were assessed using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. A total of 82 parents of children hospitalized during the specified times in the PICU participated. There was a statistically significant difference among the three cohorts in diagnoses (respiratory, cardiovascular, and medical-surgical), p ≤0.001. A larger percentage of children of the study participants were hospitalized with respiratory illnesses (62.5%) in the unrestricted study group when compared to the other study groups with higher patient acuity. There was also a statistical significance among the three study groups regarding whether the second parent was able to visit the child during the PICU admission (p = 0.007). Our study suggests that restricting parent and visitor presence does not increase parent anxiety or family distress during a child's admission to the PICU. The literature widely supports that having a critically ill child is undoubtedly stressful for parents and families, but the most significant causation for the anxiety and stress remains unknown and is likely multifactorial. Parents who experienced rigid restrictions in parent and visitor presence did not have increased anxiety. Other impactful variables such as a child's mortality risk and the uncertainty of outcome may have impacted anxiety for parents whose children were critically ill. Further research is needed to understand which stressors are most significant, during a critically ill child's hospitalization, from a parent's perspective. Limiting staff and patient exposure to persons who may have contagious illness (restricting parent and family presence) may not in itself lead to increased anxiety and distress for parents and families. This study may provide context for careful development of hospital visitation policies to ensure balance between patient and family centered care and protection from infectious disease. • A child's admission to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is one of the most stressful and anxiety-provoking situations for parents. • Restricting parent presence interrupts the social and emotional relationship and offers less time for bonding.. • Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) forced hospitals to make abrupt changes to existing visitation policies. • This research provides context for support of careful development and implementation of hospital visitation policies.