Poster #114 - Predicting and Contextualizing Early Childhood Pandemic Wellbeing Year-Over-Year Using a Bioecological Model

• In Event: Poster Session 13

Abstract

Justification

Over the past three years, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of human life, taking a psychological toll on child well-being (Gassman-Pines et al., 2020). Our study takes a mixed-methods approach to understand pandemic challenges that were experienced by low-income families with young children and to predict the resulting level of wellbeing children experienced at two points during the pandemic. Taking a bioecological approach (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007), there were two research questions. Does resource-related hardship and/or child emotionality predict child wellbeing year-over-year? How did the functioning of ecological systems change in relation to child wellbeing year-over-year? We hypothesize that (1) hardship and emotionality will predict child wellbeing year-over-year, and that (2) resource-related hardships will decrease, and child wellbeing will increase in Year 2 and be supported by parent-reported effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method

Participants were recruited from Head Start Centers outside Boston, MA. Sixty-two caregivers (Year 1=38; Year 2=24) reported for their families and children for Year 1 (N=38; Male=14; Female=24; Mage=4.3; SDage=0.739) and Year 2 (N=24; Male=14; Female=10; Mage=4.0; SDage=1.063). Three quantitative measures were used. Overall resource-related pandemic hardship was measured by summing 15 “yes” or “no” questions about negative pandemic experiences from the CEFIS (Zazak et al., 2020). Child emotionality was measured by taking the mean score of four items on emotionality from the EASI-III (Buss & Plomin, 1975). Child wellbeing was measured using a single question on a 10-point Likert scale from the CEFIS (Zazak et al., 2020). The qualitative measure consisted of one open-ended question. “Tell us about other effects of COVID-19 on your child/ren and family, both positive and negative.” Participants filled out the questionnaires online or using paper and pencil, in the language of their choice during the spring of 2021 and 2022.

Results

Multiple regression analyses using resource-related hardship, child emotionality, and their interaction to predict wellbeing were used to test hypothesis 1. It was partially supported in that there was a main effect for hardships both years, but in Year 1 this main effect was qualified by a significant interaction such that children who had high negative emotionality and experienced many hardships displayed decreased wellbeing (Table 1). Secondly, increased resource-related hardship and wellbeing year-over-year partially supports hypothesis 2 (Table 1). Further, Figure 1 depicts the bioecological model with qualitative themes related to the affected systems. This lends additional support to hypothesis 2 in that the individual and mesosystem were not affected in Year 2, suggesting increased wellbeing and increased positive functioning between systems.

Implications

These findings highlight how the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted child wellbeing in multiple ecological systems year-over-year. As more disruption occurred, lower child wellbeing was reported. Further, children who were high in emotionality with more hardships in year 1 were more likely to experience distress than others. Child wellbeing was supported year-over-year by themes related to family togetherness, despite an increase in resource-related hardships accumulating over time. Moving forward, attempts to bolster children’s wellbeing should incorporate multiple pandemic-affected systems and resources, and promote family togetherness.

Authors

• Molly DuBuc, Suffolk University
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Kingdon

• Emma Smith

• Rosemarie DiBiase, Suffolk University