Poster #144 - Caregiver Perceived Stress as a Mediator between COVID-19 Experiences and Early Adolescent Mental Health Symptomology

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with family adjustment, heightened adolescent mental health symptomology, and increased caregiver stress. The current study used a diverse sample of caregivers and adolescents to examine the association between pandemic-related experiences, caregiver perceived stress, and adolescent mental health. Two-hundred and thirty-four caregivers and their adolescent (10 to 15 years-old) from the Southeastern United States completed surveys during the early stages of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analyses tested the relationship between COVID-19 experiences, caregiver perceived stress, and adolescent mental health, and whether perceived stress mediated the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and adolescent mental health. Findings reveal that perceived stress significantly mediated the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and adolescent mental health.

Early adolescence (11-14 years old) is a critical developmental period in which youth are at a heightened risk for mental health symptoms (Lee et al., 2014). The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic (Shanahan et al., 2020), coupled with school closures and lack of face-to-face peer contact (Branquinho et al., 2020), may make the COVID-19 pandemic a risk factor for poor adolescent mental health. Indeed, emerging literature suggests that adolescents experienced higher rates of depression and anxiety during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the Pandemic (e.g., Zhou et al., 2020).

Caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be highly challenging, with families facing unique experiences and needing to meet various competing demands simultaneously. Given its novelty and uncertainty, the pandemic-related stress for both caregivers and adolescents is likely to be significant (Brown et al., 2020). Frequently changing COVID-19 restrictions and precautions were especially challenging for families navigating social distancing guidelines, masking requirements, homeschooling expectations, lockdown measures, social restrictions, and changing societal norms (Calvano et al., 2021).

Due to the critical period of development, young adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Marques de Miranda et al., 2020). This stage is characterized by critical cognitive, emotional, neurological, and hormonal changes (e.g., Guyer et al., 2016; Mendle, 2014; Rapee et al., 2022; Roeser et al., 2000). These, combined with the increased importance of peer relationships and socially linked development of self-concept, may place young adolescents at risk for increased mental health symptomology (Mendle, 2014; Rapee et al., 2019; Rapee et al., 2022; Reardon et al., 2009).
The current study used both caregiver and child reports to explore: (a) the direct relations among COVID-19 experiences, caregiver perceived stress, and adolescent mental health; (b) the indirect, mediated relation between COVID-19 experiences and adolescent mental health through caregiver perceived stress; and (c) whether adolescent gender moderates the proposed relations.

Standardized bootstrapping results (i.e., Hypothesis 3) found that caregiver perceived stress fully mediated the relation between COVID-19 experiences and adolescent mental health symptomology (β = .06, p < .05, 95% CI = .014 to .12) and females (β = .05, p < .05, 95% CI = .012 to .12).

Group Authors

Alabama Rural Families and Wellbeing Workgroup

Authors

• Abby Grammer Horton, The University of Alabama

• Micha Blake Berryhill, The University of Alabama

• Stephanie Masters
  Presenting Author