Parenting Under Pressure: a Mixed-Methods Investigation of the Impact of COVID-19 on Family Life

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

COVID-19 has placed tremendous pressure on caregivers, children, and families around the globe. ‘Safer-at-home’ restrictions have resulted in parents balancing work-from-home with homeschooling their children; this generation of children is the first to experience social distancing and homeschooling mandates that have drastically restructured their social and educational landscape. Despite the acknowledgement that changes imposed by COVID-19 are likely impacting families, we have little information on how this pandemic is experienced within family units. Qualitative methodology, which is exploratory and richly detailed, may be particularly informative in this context. The aim of the present study was to employ thematic analysis to discover underlying themes in reflective paragraphs collected from parents and children on how COVID-19 has affected individual and family life. The study included a sample of parents (n = 56) and their children aged 6-17 (n = 43). Emergent themes among adult qualitative reports included a range of challenges, such as concern about family, dealing with added responsibilities, and fears about an uncertain future. Unexpectedly, we also discovered themes of resilience, including perspective taking, gratitude, and adjustment, suggesting that in the face of adversity parents are finding space for growth and familial fortitude. While themes in child reports included expected areas of fear of COVID-19 and familial concerns, we also identified a high number of reflections on school life and social connections, and reflections about broader consequences and societal impact brought by the pandemic. While both parents and children revealed positive and negative content, parents expressed more positive themes than children, who tended to be more egocentric in their positive reflections. Mapping qualitative themes onto quantitative dimensions of distress, we found that our parent theme titled “a stressful balancing act” was positively associated with quantitative measures of distress. We also found evidence suggesting that reflecting on gratitude and engaging in perspective taking during writing was associated with decreased parent negative affect after engaging in writing. This research helps to inform interventions aimed at diminishing the negative effects of this challenging period for future generations.

Authors

• Kristen A. Chu, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author

• Chloe Schwartz, University of California - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emily Towner, University of California, Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nadine Angele Kasparian, Cincinnati Children's Hospital
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bridget Callaghan, Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author