New research on parental stress during COVID-19 [positiveexperience.org/blog]

Understanding parental stress during COVID-19 helps guide disaster preparation planning

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a very stressful time for many of us. We were worried about getting sick, as well as spreading the disease to others, and were coping with the reality of living in lockdown. Parents in particular felt the weight of schools closing and childcare options becoming unavailable. Recently the HOPE team and Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Science Masters of Public Health student, Chuyun Xu, published a study that explores the effect of loss of childcare and other services for children and the stress parents experienced during the pandemic. 3000 parents of children younger than the age of 18 were sent a survey to complete in two waves, one in November 2020, and again in February 2021.

Comparison of stress levels and childcare disruptions

In the survey, the research team specifically focused on the question, “How often, if ever, have you felt nervous or stressed since the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak occurred (i.e., since early March 2020)?” They compared this response to the number of disruptions* in their children’s lives including school closure, childcare closure, inability to receive free or reduced cost meals at school, and inability to go outside to play or exercise. The study team looked at differences in stress levels across the parents’ sex, education, marital status, and family income. They also explored the impact that parental experiences of adversity had on their stress level.

[Click here to read the full blog post.]