Parenting and child mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online study with Portuguese and British Families

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 and the subsequent public health response created many additional stresses for families. We examined parental behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in two European Countries and explored the association between parents' behaviour and children's anxiety and quality of life. Caregivers of children and adolescents (N = 442;86.7% mothers) between 6 and 16 years old (M = 10, SD = 2.85) participated in an online cross-sectional survey in Portugal and the United Kingdom. Results show that higher children's anxiety and lower quality of life were associated with higher levels of unrealistic parental demands, lower parental self-care, and higher parental emotional dysregulation. Encouragement of children's emotion expression and management of exposure to COVID-19 information was negatively associated with children's anxiety. Promotion of routines, support of children's emotion modulation and promotion of children's healthy lifestyles were positively associated with children's quality of life. The predictors differed according to country and age group. These results highlight the importance of specific parenting behaviours on children's mental health during COVID-19. The need to moderate unrealistic demands and attend to parental self-care to reduce parental emotional dysregulation is important. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Spanish) COVID-19 y la subsiguiente respuesta de salud publica crearon muchas tensiones adicionales para las familias. Examinamos el comportamiento de los padres durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en dos paises europeos y exploramos la asociacion entre el comportamiento de los padres y la ansiedad y la calidad de vida del nino. Cuidadores de ninos y adolescentes (N = 442;86.7% madres) entre 6 y 16 anos (M = 10, DT = 2,85) participaran en una online encuesta en Portugal y en el Reino Unido. En los resultados se observa que la mayor ansiedad y una menor calidad de vida de los ninos se asociaron con niveles mas altos de demandas parentales poco realistas, menor autocuidado y mayor desregulacion emocional de los padres. El estimulo a la expresion de las emociones de los ninos y el manejo de la exposicion a la informacion de COVID-19 se asocio negativamente con la ansiedad de los ninos. La promocion de rutinas, el apoyo a la modulacion de las emociones de los ninos y la promocion de estilos de vida saludables de los ninos se asociaron positivamente con la calidad de vida de los ninos. Los predictores difirieron segun el pais y el grupo de edad. Estos resultados resaltan la importancia de comportamientos parentales especificos en la salud mental de los ninos durante el COVID-19. La necesidad de moderar las demandas poco realistas y prestar atencion al autocuidado de los padres para reducir la desregulacion emocional de los padres es importante. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)