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For more than two years, young families have been confronted with a large number of restrictions and following burdens as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In fact, it became evident, that the current circumstances are particularly stressful for child's mental health. With regard to the child's mental health in times of a pandemic, additional factors within the family, such as maternal attachment representations as well as coping strategies and parental behavior, may play an important role. This study aims to investigate the interplay of maternal attachment representation, coping strategies, parental behavior and child's mental health during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, previously collected data regarding maternal attachment representation and newly attained data from the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic-assesment (lack of coping strategies, children's mental health and parental behavior) were combined and analyzed. The data were collected in an online survey since beginning of the pandemic, including N = 73 mothers. A path model was calculated in form of multiple linear regression. A path model could be confirmed, which indicates that insecure maternal attachment representation predicts lack of coping strategies during the pandemic [b = 5.55, 95%-CI = (4.51; 6.55), p = 0.001]. Furthermore, lack of coping strategies predicts harmful parental behavior during the pandemic [b = -0.77, 95%-CI = (-1.27; -0.21), p = 0.007], which in turn predicts children's mental health problems, namely behavioral problems [b = -0.08, 95%-CI = (-0.14; -0.01), p = 0.027]. Presence of short-time work and decrease in income since beginning of the pandemic were used as control variables. This means that since the pandemic mothers with insecure attachment representation have an increased risk of having only a few coping mechanisms available, leading to harmful parental behaviors and ultimately affecting the mental health of their children. In conclusion, the pandemic could potentially have a particularly negative influence on mothers with an insecure attachment type and therefore on their children. Therefore, tailored interventions for families should be offered that both focus on the different types of mental health problems in children and support parents in their coping skills.
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Aims The success of the childhood immunisation programme depends on parental confidence in the efficacy of vaccines. Parental hesitancy because of lack of access to evidence based information alongside the misinformation available on social media contributes to the poor uptake of vaccinations. Reliance on herd immunity is compromised if increasing cohorts begin to decline vaccines. Combating misinformation and gaining an understanding of reasons for refusal and hesitancy behaviours enables the implementation of interventions to prevent declines. Our study attempted to understand reasons and personal characteristics influencing parental refusal in accepting immunisations. Methods Using a semi-structured interview, parents of children who had missed immunisation appointments were contacted. The parents were asked a series of open-ended questions about the reasons for their non-attendance to appointments. Results Out of the 47 patients contacted, 19 patients responded. Main reasons for vaccine refusal included misinformation, homoeopathy and religion. Parents expressed concerns over the vaccine components and the negative impacts vaccines had previously had on the child or other family members. Alongside this some parents expressed a concern over a link between autism and the MMR vaccine. A review of the records did not provide any valid information to support these claims which were more perceptual than factual. Furthermore, one parent expressed a lack of trust in the whole immunisation programme since the beginning of the COVID- 19 pandemic and the roll out of vaccines. Conclusion Parental beliefs and hesitancy are key to the effectiveness of the childhood immunisation programme. Unless we can fully understand and counsel parents with the correct, evidence- based information we will not be able to change parental behaviours and reduce hesitancy surrounding vaccines. Social media and the plethora of information has a large contribution to the varied messages and information available to parents. Our study adds to existing information around the misinformation of vaccines. Public health programmes cannot combat misinformation and implement interventions unless there are more robust information campaigns.
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Purpose: The study aims to determine the prevalence of mental health problems among early adolescents and their associations with parental relationships.
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CDDFTExplore the meaning of the COVID-19 pandemic for parents of children with asthma in relation to healthcare seeking for their child.MethodsInterpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) – allows researcher to focus on personal meaning in a particular context (healthcare seeking), for people (parents of children with asthma), who share a particular experience (COVID-19 pandemic). IPA ensures congruence between researcher paradigm, philosophical stance, personal stance, positionality statement, phenomenon to be studied, data collection method, and analysis.Eligibility criteria•Parents of a child (2-16 years) with a diagnosis of asthma.•Parents of a child with a diagnosis of asthma without other respiratory conditions•Parents of a child with asthma not associated with prematurity (gestation >37/40) or chronic lung disease.•Parents of a child with asthma and any of the following co-morbidities: eczema, hay-fever or food allergies (atopy)•Parents who are able to read and speak EnglishData collection and analysis:Unstructured interviews lasting 30-60mins, recorded using Zoom. Transcripts transcribed verbatim and uploaded to Nvivo – data coded using descriptive, linguistic and conceptual comments. Codes mapped in to groups according to inter-relatedness, an iterative and interpretive process using deconstruction, reconstruction and re-organisation of text to identify themesResultsThemes identified1. Protecting the child: mothers’ perception of threat from COVID-19, and what this meant they needed to do, to protect their child.2. Balancing needs and conflicts of interest: the difficulty mothers’ face in trying to balance the physical, mental, and emotional health needs of the child with the need to socialise, go to school, and learn;and for mothers that needed to go to work, the conflict of interest this created3. Accessing healthcare: the positive influence of knowledge and experience on the speed of accessing healthcare, the barrier of timing in relation to availability of service, and the effort required to access services4. Being heard, understood and responded to: mothers’ perception of not being heard, understood or responded to whilst seeking healthcare for their child and the psychological consequences that result5. Changing perception of risk over time: the changing perception of risk to the child’s health during the pandemic, as related to perception of reality.ConclusionDuring a pandemic, information conveyed to parents needs to be updated in line with emerging evidence. Parents may be operating on high alert - it is not sufficient to issue the message that the NHS is still available. The importance of face-to-face consultations for worried and stressed parents should not be under-estimated and where this is not possible, video consultations should supersede other forms of communication so that information is not lost in translation and parents feel heard and understood. Wider society should implement good hand hygiene, social distancing and face masks when they have a viral infection, to protect those around them.Healthcare professionals need to recognise the daily burden of asthma for mothers, who are always on the look-out for symptoms, and the fear that an acute exacerbation can induce. Management should include emotional support as well as medical, to ensure parents feel in control and able to manage.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of parent in the United States by creating physical health-related stress, changes to work and parenting demands, and the possibility of losing a job or not being able to pay bills (Brooks et al., 2020). Such stressors have the potential to disrupt parents' basic, essential needs, such as sleep (e.g., Sadeh et al., 2004). Although ample re -search suggests that disturbances to parents' sleep can have diverse, negative repercussions on their own behavior and functioning (e.g., Grandner et al., 2020), there remains relatively little evidence linking parents' sleep problems to potentially disrupt parenting processes and children's behaviors. Given the emerging and established links between these diverse constructs, the proposed study -spectively influence children's behavior via parents' sleep quality and subsequent parenting practices. Methods: The sample is comprised of 1003 parents of school-aged (5-18 years old) children who completed an initial online survey (from March 27th to April 30th of 2020) followed by up to 8 weekly on-three forms of COVID-related stress: health-related stress, stress as-sociated with work/parenting demands, and finance-related stress. In the follow-ups, parents completed measures of sleep (i.e., PROMIS sleep disturbance questionnaire), parenting (e.g., Alabama Parenting Questionnaire), and child behavioral problems (i.e., CBCL). Results: Multi-level modeling results, at the between-person level, suggested that the influence of COVID-related financial stress on disturbance and angry/hostile parenting behaviors. At the within-person level, weekly spikes in parental sleep disturbance were asso-ciated with corresponding spikes in angry/hostile parenting, which, in turn, were associated with subsequent spikes in children's be- havior problems. Conclusion: Our results highlight the longitudinal impact of par-ental sleep disturbance as a mechanism linking COVID-19-related stressors, parenting, and child functioning.
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Objectives: Atopic dermatitis is a common pediatric cutaneous inflammatory disease. Moderate and severe cases are associated with a signed parental burden. Therapeutic parental education, regular follow-up, written treatment plans, and spending enough time with the patient have positively impacted burden reduction. In order to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, direct dermatological consultations were reduced. The survey focused on the mode of consultations done for Atopic Dermatitis during the pandemic and the satisfaction regarding the same, self-reported details regarding flares of the disease - frequency and duration, and parental-care giver burden during this socialdistancing demanding period. Method: An electronic survey was distributed among parents of children aged from 0 to 16 years with atopic dermatitis in Saudi Arabia between October 12 and December 12, 2020. The survey discusses the different burdens during and before the pandemic, including financial, number and period of flares, sleep quality, job quality, and the treatments used. The study also discusses the type of earned medical advice, including onsite visits, virtual consultation, others or none. Results: A total of 242 caregivers responded;103 female and 139 male children. Of these, 145 respondents had consultations during the pandemic, including 72 (49.7) onsite consultations. Out of the 73 (50.3%) online respondents, 53.4% were satisfied, than 35.6% were unsatisfied with the consultation, while the rest had a neutral opinion. Moreover, the parental burden before and during the pandemic seems similar. Discussion: Teledermatology represents an effective method in treating pediatric atopic dermatitis and avoiding the deterioration of the related parental quality of life in case of physically unreachable medical services.
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Objective: Despite the high prevalence of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children under 5 years of age, there has been limited research about early family support and interventions for this age group. Given that TBI can disrupt parent-child interactions and parent-child interactions are central for child development, we developed an online parenting skills intervention (Gaining Real Life Skills over the Web;GROW) to improve TBI recovery. The online parenting skills program aims to improve caregiver functioning and increase positive parenting behaviors. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the program. Methods: Parents learned strategies for responsive parenting while integrating stress management and self-care techniques by reviewing online content and videos and practicing parenting skills with therapist feedback over 8 weeks. The online content consisted of 5 core modules with the option for 1 supplemental session. Primary study outcomes were feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the GROW program to improve caregiver functioning and positive parenting behaviors. Qualitative interviews and satisfaction questionnaires will be analyzed to identify common themes and suggestions across participants. Results: To date, of 63 potentially eligible parents: 23 agreed to participate (36.5%), 19 declined (30.2%), and 21 are currently being recruited (33.3%). Of the 23 who agreed to participate: 10 completed baseline visits (43.5%), 5 are scheduled (21.7%), and 8 are being rescheduled (34.7%). Four parents have completed the program thus far and rated the program as both helpful and enjoyable, finding the coaching to be particularly valuable. Preliminary findings also trend toward an increase in caregiver functioning and positive parenting behaviors. Suggestions for improving the program were oriented towards shortening the program length. Families acknowledged the difficulty in dedicating time to review web content, complete homework, and meet with the therapist weekly. Families with very young children are busy;a challenge made even more difficult amid the influence of COVID and its added stressors. Final pilot data will be presented at the time of the conference. Conclusion: Despite promising feedback about the value of the program, low rates of participation underscore the challenges of engaging parents of very young children. Disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic likely made uptake even lower. Assuming that preliminary evidence for acceptability and efficacy are confirmed, next steps include working with stakeholders to preserve key content while redesigning the program to minimize barriers (e.g., shorten modules) and increase engagement. Efforts to identify and target the unique stressors associated with parenting a very young child will be essential to promote uptake. Ultimately, a larger-scale randomized control trial is needed in order to examine the relative efficacy of the program in relation to a comparison group.
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This study aims to establish correlations between the use of digital devices for literacy activities and the demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of parents, children and the family during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria. The study includes parents of 172 children aged 2 to 8 who completed online questionnaires related to home learning activities and the use of digital devices by families and children. The findings show that parents have a positive attitude towards engaging in literacy and reading activities through digital devices with their children, but do not support the excessive use of digital devices by children. We found that older children, girls, and children who use digital devices to communicate with family members and friends are more likely to engage in literacy activities through digital devices. Our findings corroborate other recent studies in underscoring the importance of partnership between children and their parents for children's development in today's environment.
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PURPOSE: To investigate the compliance rates of health-related behaviors among Chinese preschool children, and to explore how supportive family environment, parental behavior, sociodemographic and community factors affect children's health-related behavior comprehensively. METHOD: Preschool children aged 3 to 6 years were chosen from 5760 villages (residential) committees from 471 counties (districts) of 31 provinces by use of a stratified random sampling procedure, with 10,967 preschool children aged 3-6 years old included. The survey was conducted from September 2020 to November 2020. RESULTS: The proportion of Chinese preschool children who met the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen time behavior (ST), and sleep behavior (SLP) guidelines were 62.3%, 52.8%, and 53.8%. Among the supportive family environment factors, parents' time with their children on weekends had the most significant impact on children's MVPA, ST, and SLP, with the odds ratio (OR) values of 2.18 (95%CI:1.97, 2.40), 0.69 (0.63, 0.76), and 1.62 (1.48, 1.79), respectively. Among the parental behavior factors, the mother's exercise frequency had a strong association with the children's MVPA and SLP, with OR values of 1.65 (1.50, 1.83) and 1.24 (1.13, 1.37), respectively; the mother's screen time was inversely associated with the children's ST with an OR value of 0.47 (0.44, 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Different types of family environments were associated with the different levels of MVPA, ST and SLP among Chinese preschool children. In addition to the influence of parents' education and family income, parents could also improve their children's behaviors by providing a supportive family environment. The more of these factors presented in a family, the more likely it was for children to meet the guidelines. Therefore, for those families whose children's health-related behaviors needed to be improved, the parents should create supportive family environments, such as by playing less on mobile phone and spending more time with children.
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Exercise , Health Behavior , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Screen Time , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Introduction: Patients with early-onset neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) were considered clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 due to assumptions that treatments e.g. corticosteroids, or complications e.g. pre-existing respiratory failure or cardiac disease would increase risk. In the UK, most were advised to 'shield' and strictly limit social contact, however it is poorly understood how patients and families approached and responded to this. Methods: In-depth questionnaires specifically designed to meet research aims were completed by telephone between September 17 and December 31 2020 by NMD patients or their parent. Open and closed questions enabled a) quantitative analysis and b) thematic analysis to evaluate reasoning and psychosocial impact. Results: 40 questionnaires were completed: patients were 70% male, aged 2 to 48 years with NMDs e.g. muscular dystrophies, spinal muscular atrophy. 80% (n=32) had long-term non-invasive or tracheostomy ventilation;20% (n=8) had cardiac involvement. Strict adherence to shielding was initially reported: this included temporary cessation or reduction in external care support in 68% (n=27), leading to increased parental care. Shielding measures were often relaxed due to 1) official guidance, 2) evidence of less severe outcomes in children and NMDs, and 3) unsustainability of limited social contact. Anxiety, fear and worry were the most frequently reported emotions, but level and pervasiveness fluctuated. 75% (n=30) remained “extremely” or “very” worried about risk of COVID-19 to the patient's health. Concern about hospital attendance during the pandemic and anxiety regarding perceived lack of capacity or access to Intensive care were common. Virtual healthcare access, experienced by 97.5% (n=39), was seen as positive, largely as an interim measure, but was less useful where examination or tests were required. Conclusions: Measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19 have disproportionately affected NMD patients and their families. For most, negative psychosocial impacts have and will continue to improve, particularly due to the success of the vaccination programme. Patients and carers require access to support and up-to-date information to minimise risk of infection and psychological burden.
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Environmental damage or health concerns related to diet are some alarming consequences of our behaviour in the near future. Consumers can make a difference depending on their eating behaviour and conscientiousness about minimizing environmental damage. One way to make children more aware of the environment and induce them to eat healthier food in the future might be educational games where they could learn the importance of the environment and the effect of the food they eat on their health status. In this study, we investigated parental behaviour when feeding their children and their willingness to pay for a game product with educational and eating functions. The sample consisted of 300 parents of children aged from 4 to 12. A hypothetical choice experiment has been used and a latent class model estimated the parents’ preferences for a plant-based product game carrying two attributes, namely, the price and narrative context of the game The results indicated that parents were willing to pay more for a product with a storybook related to healthy eating habits or recycling than one with no storybook. Moreover, two dominant feeding styles in households were found: indulgent parents and uninvolved parents. This alternative approach is oriented toward educating people from the early stages of their lives, creating a favourable environment for the development of preferences for healthier food.