Associations between local COVID-19 case rates, pandemic-related financial stress and parent and child functioning.

The COVID-19 global crisis led to unprecedented disruption of family routines and heightened family stress. This study examines the effects of local COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stress on family processes (e.g., caregiving behavior) and school-aged children's outcomes. The project was launched shortly after stay-at-home orders began in the U.S. Data were collected online using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which allowed for nationwide recruitment. Using four waves of data (N = 308), with initial data collected between 4/20/20 and 5/6/20 and 2-3 weeks between each wave, this study examined the influence of local rates of COVID-19 infection on pandemic-related financial stress and the association of these constructs on maternal psychological distress and negative parenting. We also examined the potential cascade linking COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stress with child behavior problems via maternal psychological distress and negative parenting behavior, while controlling for prior child behavior problems. In line with hypotheses, higher Wave 1 (W1) pandemic-related financial stress was significantly associated with higher Wave 2 (W2) maternal psychological distress, which was significantly associated with higher Wave 3 (W3) negative parenting, which, in turn, was significantly associated with higher Wave 4 (W4) child behavior problems. In addition, the indirect effect of W1 pandemic-related financial stress on W3 negative parenting through W2 maternal psychological distress was significant. Higher W1 local COVID-19 case rates were significantly related to higher W3 negative parenting. Results suggest local COVID-19 case rates and pandemic-related financial stressors are associated with poorer child and family functioning. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing child quality of life impairments following pediatric burn injuries: Rasch analysis of the children's dermatology life quality index.

AIMS: There is a need for a brief, validated measure of quality of life (QOL) for children to monitor their adjustment to burn injuries. We aimed to apply a Rasch analysis to an existing measure of QOL from the dermatology literature to a clinical sample of pediatric burn patients. METHODS: The Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) was administered to pediatric burn patients (N = 253) during a standard clinic visit. Rasch analysis was used to examine psychometric properties of this measure with a burn sample. RESULTS: The CDLQI showed an adequate fit to the Rasch model. Test difficulty is .61 logits greater than person ability. Results of item reliability and separation analyses were sufficiently strong and indicated a unidimensional latent trait. Person reliability (.74) and separation analyses (1.64) were moderate. Finally, the CDLQI was able to moderately separate the group of respondents into low and high levels of QOL impairments related to burn injuries. CONCLUSION: The Rasch model demonstrated that the CDLQI is a reliable and valid scale that adequately measures QOL impairments in children following burn injuries.

Predictors and Correlates of Pediatric Postburn Pruritus in Preschool Children of Ages 0 to 4.

Pruritus is a common problem following burn injuries; however, the literature to date has focused on adult survivors and/or pediatric survivors of large burns. The current study examines acute postburn pruritus in children under the age of 4 years (N = 256) with smaller burns (mean TBSA = 3.99%), which represents the most common type of patient typically treated in pediatric burn centers. Parents rated their child for pruritus, irritability, and sleep disturbances; additionally, parents completed a self-report of distress. Nearly half (47.3%) were rated by parents as displayed some level of pruritus, with the greatest proportion rated as mild. Regression analysis indicated that child minority status, greater burn TBSA, and more days elapsed since burn predicted higher levels of pruritus. In turn, pruritus was positively correlated with child irritability, delayed sleep onset, sleep disturbance, and parent distress. Thus, our results indicate that parent-rated pruritus in young pediatric burn patients is important to evaluate, as itch is significantly associated with other important clinical outcomes as early as the first month of the burn for pediatric patients and their parents.