Pathways to resilience: The parallel change in children’s emotional difficulties and family context during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

• In Event: Family Adjustment During the Global Outbreak of COVID-19: A Longitudinal and International Perspective

Abstract

Introduction
Italian children and adolescents were locked down with their families for about sixty days, from March 11th to May 6th, with severe restriction measures. The way in which the family system adjusted to this transition may have affected the distress perceived by the child (Felix et al., 2013). The literature on family system and on child resilience shows evidence that the quality of caregiving predicts the child’s ability for adaptation to adversity (Harrist et al., 2019; Masten, 2018). Families who are supportive, caring, involved, and responsive towards the needs of the children, and at the same time are flexible and active in problem solving, are resilient families able to recover their healthy dynamic equilibrium (Masten, 2014).
The current study aims to analyze which pathways to resilience at the family level emerged during the COVID-19 containment period in Italy. Using a longitudinal and prospective design, with data pre- and post- event, the study aims to analyze whether the change in emotional difficulties (ED) of children was affected by changes within the family context during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Study Population
166 middle school students (86 females) from 7 schools located in Central Italy with a mean age of 11.14 (ds=.47) answered to an online questionnaire at school in January 2020 (T0) and at home in June 2020 (T1).
Methods
A self-report measure of Emotional Difficulties (ED) was collected using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire - SDQ (Goodman et al., 2003; Tobia et al., 2013). Self -reported measures of Family Satisfaction (FS) and Positive Family Relationships (PFR) were evaluated through the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale – MSLSS (Huebner, 1994; Zappulla et al., 2014). The longitudinal model was analyzed using as a continuous and a group-based approach.

Results
Findings showed that children’s ED decreased significantly, on average, during the lockdown period, whereas the mean level of both Family Satisfaction and Positive Family Relationships was stable. 25% of the children reported an increase of ED from pre- to post-lockdown. A significant interaction between change in ED and change in Family Satisfaction and Positive Family Relationships was found. The increase in ED resulted to be significantly associated with a parallel decrease across time in FS (η2p=.108) and in PFS (η2p=.210). On the contrary, a decrease in ED was significantly associated with an increase of FR (η2p=.070).

Discussion
Overall, our findings confirmed the general literature on Family Resilience Model integrating concepts from individual resilience and family stress theory. A quarter of children in our sample was characterized by an increasing trajectory of Emotional Difficulties during the lockdown and it was associated with a less resilient family context. Children from families who maintained a positive climate during the COVID-19 lockdown remained unaffected. Finally, in families where the quality of the family system improved, children and adolescents benefitted in terms of emotional wellbeing. This finding needs to be followed up over time in order to understand the stability and the changes of these mechanisms.

Authors

• Annalaura Nocentini, University of Florence
  Presenting Author

• Benedetta Emanuela Palladino, University of Florence
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ersilia Menesini, University of Florence
  Non-Presenting Author