The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emotional Well-being of Caregivers and Children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Emerging data suggests that societal disruptions related COVID-19 have led to an increase in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (Amsalem et al., 2020; Cluver et al., 2020), resulting in broad threats to caregiver and child well-being (Collins et al., 2020). Emotion regulation is particularly relevant relative to the impact of COVID-19, because emotion regulation deficits are important to mental health and adaptive coping during times of stress. In turn, there may be reason to explore potential positive changes emerging for some (e.g., more quality time with children and spouse) (Grasso et al., 2020), which also has implications for coping and family functioning (Hafstad et al., 2010). The primary goal of this symposium is to examine the ways parents and children have been impacted by COVID-19, with a specific focus on mental health and regulatory functioning.

The first paper will present longitudinal data to examine how mothers’ adverse childhood experiences are associated with changes in stress and depressive symptoms stress pre-pandemic to six months into the pandemic. The second paper will present data on ethnically diverse fathers to examine how emotion socialization behaviors may be impacted by pandemic-related stress, relative to other known risk factors, including mental health and emotion regulation. The third paper will examine perceived positive changes that have come from the pandemic, and their relation to infant regulatory functioning. Finally, the discussant will provide an integrative reflection, and consider the differential impact the pandemic may have on caregivers and children.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Chair

• Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

Discussant

• Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

Individual Presentations

• Maternal childhood aversity and mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic - Presenting Author: Christine Joachims, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa; Non-Presenting Author: Karina M. Shreffler, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

• Fathering amid COVID-19: Do experiences with the pandemic overshadow other factors associated with emotion socialization? - Presenting Author: E Cherry, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Non-Presenting Author: Emily D. Gerstein, University of Missouri-St. Louis

• Positive changes during the pandemic perceived among mothers in relation to infant Regulation - Presenting Author: Samantha Addante, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Non-Presenting Author: Ashley N Quigley, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Non-Presenting Author: Gina Erato, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Non-Presenting Author: Kristin Fields, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Non-Presenting Author: Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater