Learning, Education, Pandemic: Virtual Education, Parental Stress and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world entered various forms of lockdown. Students abruptly moved to online schooling, which required high levels of parental involvement. Family routines were disrupted, potentially increasing parental stress. These changes may have had negative downstream effects on children’s well-being, reflected in less time spent engaged in physical activity and greater screen time use.
Objectives: To assess whether school- and home-based factors during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with parental stress, and whether parental stress was associated with children’s screen time use.
Methods: Parents (>18 years of age) were recruited through social media to complete an online questionnaire that asked questions regarding changes to home routines before and after the pandemic for their eldest child (6-12 years of age). Specifically, parents were asked about home activities, their child’s online school experiences, and the parent’s satisfaction with several aspects of the virtual learning experience. Parents also completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the positive parenting and involvement subscales of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ). Paired t-tests were run to examine changes in daily home activities (e.g., reading, sleeping, physical activity, screen time, free play etc.) due to the pandemic. A series of general linear models assessed whether parental stress could be predicted by school factors (e.g. time spent by students and parents on schoolwork, live classes etc.) and home based changes (e.g. changes in sleep times, physical activity, screen time, reading etc.). An additional GLM was run to determine which factors predict increases in children’s screen time.
Results: A total of 105 parents completed the online questionnaires. Overall parents reported moderate to high stress levels (i.e., scores of 13 or greater on the PSS), with lower stress associated with increased satisfaction with their child’s virtual learning experience (p<0.001). Children’s screen time (e.g., watching television and playing video games) increased significantly during the pandemic (p<.001). Parents reported an average increase from 2.6 hours a day of screen use to 5.8 hours a day. Children’s time spent reading (p<.01) and engaging in free play (p<.001) also significantly increased; however these factors did not predict screen time use. Rather, parental reports of dissatisfaction with online learning, lower income, having a child with special needs, and the number of children at home predicted greater hours of screen time in school-age children. Increased parental involvement and school satisfaction were associated with fewer increases in children’s screen use (p<0.05).
Conclusions: School-aged children experienced significant changes to their daily routines during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of which were influenced by parental stress. We identified positive parental involvement and positive experiences with online schooling experiences as protective factors. As the pandemic continues, identification of modifiable risk factors for parents and educators can help lessen adverse effects on children.

Authors

• Diane Seguin, University of Western Ontario
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Kuenzel, University of Western Ontario
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel Thorburn
  Non-Presenting Author

• J Bruce Morton, University of Western Ontario
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emma Gail Duerden, Western University
  Non-Presenting Author