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Who Is Watching the Children? A Quantitative Analysis of Strategies for Reconciling Work and Parenting during Lockdown in Northern Italy.
Plagg, Barbara; Flarer, Heidi; Conca, Andreas; Wiedermann, Christian J; Engl, Adolf; Piccoliori, Giuliano; Mairhofer, Sigrid; Barbieri, Verena; Eisendle, Klaus.
  • Plagg B; Institute of General Practice and Public Health, Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Flarer H; Faculty of Education, Free University of Bolzano Bozen, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Conca A; Institute of General Practice and Public Health, Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Wiedermann CJ; Department of Psychiatry, Bolzano Central Hospital, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Engl A; Institute of General Practice and Public Health, Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Piccoliori G; Department of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and HTA, University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, 6060 Hall in Tyrol, Austria.
  • Mairhofer S; Institute of General Practice and Public Health, Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Barbieri V; Institute of General Practice and Public Health, Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
  • Eisendle K; Department of Applied Social Sciences, Munich University of Applied Sciences, 80335 München, Germany.
Int J Environ Res Public Health ; 18(21)2021 Oct 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1480775
ABSTRACT
(1)

Background:

In their efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, most countries closed schools and kindergartens. To date, little is known about the strategies of working families reconciling work and parenting during repeated lockdown situations. (2)

Methods:

We performed a quantitative survey of working parents in Italy during a week of 'hard lockdown' in February/March 2021. (3)

Results:

3725 voluntary adult participants from different households responded. Though officially not allowed, 53.4% of all participants sought help from people outside the nuclear family to bridge the situation, mostly the grandparents (79%; n = 1855). Overall, parental coping strategies included alternating working-childcare-turns with their partner (35%, n = 1316), working early in the morning or during nighttime (23%; n = 850), or leaving the children unattended (25%, n = 929). (4)

Conclusions:

The closure of schools/kindergartens forcefully shifts the responsibility for childcare onto the nuclear family, where new strategies arose, including health-damaging models of alternating work-childcare-shifts, 'illegal' involvement of third parties from outside the nuclear family, as well as neglect of age-related childcare. Our findings underline that working families need additional support strategies during repeated closure of childcare institutions to be able to reduce contact and minimize secondary damage.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Parenting / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Child / Humans Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Ijerph182111174

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Parenting / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Child / Humans Language: English Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Ijerph182111174