The Cost and Benefit of Fear Induction Parenting on Children’s Health during the COVID-19 Outbreak

• In Event: Parenting and Child Development in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was an unprecedented global public health emergency with a significant psychological toll (Zhou et al., 2020). To protect their children during the pandemic, parents may be more inclined to socialize their children about the health risks to promote children’s disease prevention practices (Scharf & Goldner, 2018). Specifically, in conditions of threat, parents may use strategies such as frequent sharing of COVID-19-related information, exaggerating the severity of the situation, and emphasizing the negative consequences of this disease to induce fear and consequently promote compliance and cooperation in their children (Grolnick & Pomerantz, 2009). However, the behavioral and psychological consequences of such practices for children are unknown (Soenens & Vansteenkiste, 2010). This study aimed to understand how specific COVID-19 related stressors contributed to parents’ fear induction practices, and how these practices, in turn, contributed to their elementary-school-aged children’s disease prevention practices during the outbreak and post-quarantine depressive symptoms.

Parents (N=240, Mage=38.50 years, 75% mothers) with elementary-school-aged children (Mage=9.48 years, 46% girls) in Wenzhou, one of the most impacted cities in China, reported the presence of confirmed or suspected cases in their communities, their frequencies of consuming COVID-19-related information, fear induction practices, and their children’s trait anxiety and disease prevention practices during the COVID-19 outbreak (January 28 to 30, 2020). Child-reported depressive symptoms were collected between March 7 and 11, 2020, during which there were very few remaining cases and no new confirmed cases or deaths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parents to create a measure of parents’ fear induction practices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Figure 1 (presentation 1) presents the COVID-19 development trajectory in Wenzhou and data collection time points.

Parental fear induction was examined as a mediator in associations between two types of COVID-19 related stressors (i.e., presence of community infection and consumption of virus-related information) and child outcomes (i.e., disease prevention practices during the outbreak and post-quarantine depressive symptoms). The moderation effect of child trait anxiety was examined in the associations between parent fear induction and the two child outcomes. Parents’ higher frequency of virus-related information consumption but not the presence of community infection was associated with their engagement in more fear induction practices, which was in turn associated with children’s greater engagement in prevention practices during the outbreak, but more post-quarantine depressive symptoms. Child trait anxiety exacerbated the association between parent fear induction and child depressive symptoms (see Figure 2 presentation 1).

In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, parents’ fear induction practices may be effective in reaching desirable socialization goals and ensuring children’s safety in the short term (Grolnick & Pomerantz, 2009), but may also add to children’s existing frustration and hopelessness during the prolonged social-distancing period (Pinquart, 2017). Using fear induction parenting may promote children’s willingness to cooperate and participate in disease prevention practices during the crisis but at the cost of children’s long-term mental health. Efforts should be made to educate parents on more positive and interactive parenting practices during public health emergencies

Authors

• Huiguang Ren, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Presenting Author

• Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Junsheng Liu, East China Normal University
  Non-Presenting Author