Family and child loss of supports: adjustment to the early days of the global pandemic

• In Event: Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Topic - Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Abstract

An understanding of family life of during the COVID-19 global pandemic is critical to provide well-timed, relevant information on the resources needed to support early childhood development and health and mitigate the potential impacts now and into the future. In Canada, the states of emergency established in response to COVID-19 have led to closures to many services for families with young children, the enforcement of physical distancing principles and abrupt changes to employment conditions and income; therefore, shifting the balance of responsibility on families. This flash-talk focuses on families with young children (0-8) and will describe the loss of community-based services on parents and young children's family life and illustrate parents’ desire for supports and services during the pandemic.

This research aims to understand how families with young children are being impacted during the first 2 ½ months of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We asked:1) How has the COVID-19 global pandemic changed family life and influenced child health? 2) How are parents with young children adjusting and adapting to family life in response to COVID-19 closures and physical distancing advice? 3) What resources do families need to support their young child’s health during and post-pandemic? The first survey (April/May 2020) focused on the initial adjustment of families with the majority reporting a change in their family life as well as a loss of community-based services.

The survey uses a concurrent triangulation mixed method design with both quantitative (likert scale) and qualitative (open-ended) questions and represents the foundation for the Phase 2 (Fall 2020) study that will explore adaptation to family life as the conditions of COVID-19 change to reflect unique timelines of the spread and management of the disease.

14.9% (n= 341) of the total survey respondents (n= 2283) reported a loss of community-based support defined as developmental intervention, occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreational therapy, speech-language therapy and mental health services. The most frequent lost support was speech language therapy. A description of the sample participants who lost community-based supports due to the pandemic shows significant X2 associations for job status, education level and family income were found with families losing more than one support faring less well than families who reported losing one support.

Data for item responses with a significant group difference (t-test) indicate families who lost more than one service or support reported less child independent and outdoor play and family activity (playing together, reading together, cooking together) compared to those with the loss of one support (Table 1).

The expression of parent’s adjustment around loss of services observed in initial themes clarify the impact felt on family life and identify gaps in services to be addressed. Table 2 includes select parent narratives on three themes: valuable opportunities have been lost, missed interactions and developmental concerns.

Understanding how families have been influenced during the early days of the pandemic and documenting the need for targeted supports as the pandemic continues into the fall and potentially longer will inform policy makers.

Group Authors

Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre (ECCRC)

Author

• Joan Turner, Mount Saint Vincent University
  Presenting Author