Maternal and Adolescent Mental Health and Family Stress During COVID-19: The Role of Attachment

• In Event: Caregiver Mental Health and Family Stress During COVID-19: Impact on Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Abstract

Introduction: Research amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic indicates worsening adolescent mental health (Craig et al., 2020). Elevated parental mental health concerns have been found to impact the parent-child relationship (Russell et al., 2020; Brown et al., 2020) and child mental health (Patrick et al., 2020; Spinelli et al., 2020) during COVID-19. These problems are compounded by increased family stress due to stay-at-home orders and school closures (Campbell, 2020). The impact of parental mental health and family stress due to confinement on parent-adolescent attachment and adolescent mental health, however, has not been explored. Further research into COVID-19 related parental mental health concerns (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and health anxiety due to COVID-19) is also warranted. The purpose of this study is to 1) describe rates of COVID-19 related mental health concerns in mothers of adolescents and 2) examine whether attachment mediates the association between family stress due confinement and maternal mental health due to COVID-19 on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Method: Participants were parents of Canadian adolescents (age 12-18 years). Fathers were excluded due to small sample size (n = 29). Mothers (n = 541; Mage = 45.15, SD = 5.77) completed measures of adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms (OCHS), family stress due to confinement and maternal health anxiety due to COVID-19 (COVID-19 Stress Scale), PTSD due to COVID-19 (IES-R), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and parent-adolescent attachment (AAAAI). Maternal health anxiety and PTSD due to COVID-19, anxiety, and depression were included in a latent variable called “COVID-19 related maternal mental health”.

Results. A large proportion of mothers met clinical cut-off for depression (30%), anxiety (25%), and PTSD (19.5%). Using Mplus 8.0 (Muthén & Muthén, 2015), a structural equation model was run in which attachment partially mediated the association between family stress due to confinement and maternal mental health due to COVID-19 on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms, controlling for parent and adolescent age, and adolescent gender (Figure 1). The model fit the data well Χ2 (27) = 30.56, p = .29, CFI = .99, RMSEA = .02. Family stress due to confinement had an indirect effect on internalizing (β = .04, p < .05) and externalizing (β = .07, p < .01) symptoms. Likewise, COVID-19 related maternal mental health had an indirect effect on internalizing (β = .07, p < .001) and externalizing (β = .12, p < .001) symptoms.

Discussion: Given the potentially long-term nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and families will continue to face mental health burdens and family stresses, which may place strain on the parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent mental health. Interventions that include attachment and family-based supports may help ameliorate the negative effects of parental mental health and family stress due to COVID-19 on adolescent mental health. Additional screening and supports for adolescent mental health are warranted, with particular attention to adolescents at-risk for challenged parent-adolescent relationships within families vulnerable to COVID-19 related stresses. Such supports will be critical in managing negative psychopathological trajectories and a potential mental health crisis following COVID-19.

Authors

• Bianca C. Bondi, York University
  Presenting Author

• Megan E Ames, University of Victoria
  Non-Presenting Author

• Debra Pepler, York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie G. Craig, York University
  Non-Presenting Author