Child Well-being During the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Importance of Marital Adjustment and Parental Self-efficacy

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Introduction. The pandemic situation of COVID-19 has introduced new challenges on family dynamics. The sudden changes on family and child daily routines, distant from other people, sources of support, and everything that used to be familiar, as well as the uncertainty related to the duration and consequences of this situation, affect interpersonal relationships, which may challenge both parents and child’s psychological well-being (Coyne et al., 2020; Cluver et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). However, parents’ marital satisfaction plays an important role on child’s well-being, with parental self-efficacy mediating this association (e.g. Camisasca et al., 2016; Eldik et al., 2017; Jones & Prinz, 2005). The current study aims to examine the direct effects of marital satisfaction on child adjustment and to test if parental self-efficacy mediated this association during home confinement due to COVID-19. Study population. A final sample of 163 caregivers with children between 3 and 10 years-old. On average children were 6 years-old (SD = 2.92; 44.8% girls). Caregivers and their child were in home confinement for an average 31 days (SD = 12.08). Most of the couples had been married or living together for an average of 14 years (SD = 5.77) and had a university degree, mostly living in metropolitan areas. Methods. Participants were recruited online during home confinement period. Caregivers answer to a set of measures assessing marital satisfaction, parental self-efficacy, and child socioemotional competence and behavior. Results. The model provided the following good fit indices: (χ² (2) = 1.956; p = .376; χ²/df = 0.98; CFI = .99; GFI = 1.00; SRMR = .02; RMSEA = .00, pclose = .510, 90% CI .000, .155) and accounted for 14%, 21% and 10% of the total variance in child’s social competence, anger-aggression and anxiety-withdrawal, respectively, controlling for the number of days in quarantine. Findings depicted a direct effect on the positive association between marital satisfaction and parental self-efficacy, and negatively associated with child’s anger-aggression. Parental self-efficacy was positively associated with child’s social competence, negatively associated with anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal. Indirect effects depicted that marital satisfaction was associated with child’s social competence, anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal through parental self-efficacy (Figure 1). Thus, higher marital satisfaction was associated with more parental self-efficacy which in turn was associated with more child’s social competence (indirect effect =.093, SE=.04; p<.01, 90%CI .042, .172), decreasing anger-aggression (indirect effect =-.094, SE=.04; p<.01, 90%CI -.163, -.036), and anxiety-withdrawal on children (indirect effect =-.067, SE=.03; p<.01, 90%CI -.122, -.024), independently of the number of days in home confinement. Findings highlight the importance of family relationships on child well-being in stressful situations, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, characterized by fear and uncertainty regarding the future (Camisasca et al., 2016; Cluver et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Findings are also relevant to the current state of the art, given the lack of information regarding imposed isolation due to COVID-19 and the consequences it may have to child’s well-being.

Authors

• Eva Diniz, Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA)
  Presenting Author

• Tânia Brandão, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lígia Monteiro, University Institute of Lisbon
  Non-Presenting Author

• Manuela Veríssimo, ISPA-Instituto Universitário
  Non-Presenting Author