The Impact of Parent Interventions on COVID-Related Stress

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Prevention and Interventions

Abstract

Infancy represents a period of risk for parents in regard to relationship satisfaction, conflict and stress (Kluwer & Johnson, 2007; Lawrence, Nylen & Cobb, 2007; MacDermid, Huston, & McHale, 1990). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced an additional stressor at the macrolevel, creating increased stress, health concerns and negative emotional responses for many, and increasing the need for supportive programs for parents.

Prior to the pandemic, couples participated in a preventive intervention study designed to support parents of infants. Parents started the program when their infants were between 5 and 7 months old and participated over the course of 8 weeks in one of four randomly assigned conditions. Couples in the conflict intervention (CI) condition received bi-weekly psychoeducation about interparental conflict and its impact on children along with coaching on the use of a communication technique during conflicts. Couples in the sensitivity intervention (SI) condition received bi-weekly video feedback and coaching on their responses to their children’s cues. Couples in the sensitivity intervention/conflict intervention (SICI) condition received both the SI and CI programs on alternating weeks, and couples in the self-study (SS) control condition received a newsletter that summarized key takeaways from the CI and SI programs and a brief phone call as an attention control. At the onset of the pandemic, 235 families who had completed the intervention received a COVID-19 questionnaire that assessed stress they were experiencing specific to the virus, their level of concern about themselves or members of their family getting sick because of the virus, and their overall feelings of negativity associated with the pandemic. 118 questionnaires were completed.

The conflict intervention was designed to help parents communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts more readily, and reduce stress, thereby supporting infants’ emotional security, which is related to adaptive development over time (Cummings & Davies, 2010; Davies et al., 2002). It is important to note that the conflict intervention was psychoeducational and not therapeutic, providing couples with broadly relevant tools for handling a variety of conflicts that might arise. Given changes and stressors introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study tests the hypothesis that couples who received the conflict intervention would report less stress related to the pandemic than those who received the sensitivity training or the self-study control materials. This hypothesis was supported. Both concern about getting sick and total stress related to the pandemic were significantly different across the intervention groups (F(3, 102) = 4.09, p = .009) and F(3, 102) = 2.86, p = .041, respectively), with couples in the CI condition reporting significantly less concern about getting sick and less total stress related to the pandemic.
Results highlight the efficacy of a brief, accessible, psychoeducation-based program for reducing pandemic related stress for parents. Results also highlight the utility of broad, conflict-focused training for addressing unexpected, macro-level stressors. Future analyses will further explore the effects of the various conditions based on observational coding of parents’ conflict and sensitivity as mediators and moderators of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors

• Kathleen Nanette Bergman, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Abigail L. Mills, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julie M Braungart-Rieker, Colorado State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• E. Mark Cummings, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author