Poster #94 - Quantitative Predictions of Parent’s Ambiguous Loss Impact on Children’s Stress During COVID-19

• In Event: Poster Session 20

Abstract

Parents and children experienced heightened levels of stress and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (Fong & Iarocci, 2020; Patrick et al., 2020), and continue to experience stress one year later (Horton et al., 2022). Parental perceptions of stress are crucial as parents need an awareness of when to scaffold adaptive coping strategies for their children. Contributing to perceptions of stress are feelings of ambiguous loss experienced during the pandemic (Testoni et al., 2021). Ambiguous loss is a feeling of loss without closure (Boss, 2004). In addition to lives lost during COVID-19, individuals experienced ambiguous loss as a result of the loss social support, daily routines, and community events (Nam & Jiang, 2021). Ambiguous loss is overwhelmingly studied through resource intensive qualitative methods which can limit the generalizability of findings. Thus, we developed a preliminary quantitative measure of ambiguous loss better suited to widespread, time-sensitive data collection during the pandemic. The current study examines parents’ experiences and their reports of their children’s stress following one year of COVID-19 in the United States This presentation asks: Do parents’ reports of ambiguous loss impact their perceptions of children’s stress after one year of COVID-19?

134 parent participants provided data in April of 2020 and in 2021 for the 1-year follow-up (54.5% female; Mage=39.1 years; Mchildage=9.4 years; Table 1). Participants completed measures of ambiguous loss (Ambiguous Loss Measure (ALM); Horton et al., 2022; α=.70) and reported perceptions of their children’s stress (Perceived Stress Scale Child Form (PSS-CF); Cohen, et al., 1983; α=.87).

Descriptive statistics indicate that parents experienced feelings of ambiguous loss (M=22.39) and reported moderate levels of stress in their children (M=20.19). Bivariate correlations indicate significant associations between scores on the ALM and scores on the PSS-CF (r=0.44, p<.001). A linear regression indicated that parents’ ambiguous loss significantly explained approximately 19% of the variance in perceived child’s stress, (Adj R2=.185 p<.001); scores on the ALM significantly predicted increased scores on the PSS-CF (β=0.44, p<.001, 95% CI [0.33, 0.69]).

These data are uniquely situated during important moments in the pandemic with the first wave of data collected in April of 2020 - at the first peak of average weekly infections - and the second wave in April of 2021. Results suggest that parents’ feelings of ambiguous loss can spillover to their child and that children are still experiencing heightened levels of stress following a year of the pandemic. There are four commonly used coping strategies that evidence suggests support adaptive functioning: (1) problem solving, (2) escape, (3) distraction, and (4) support seeking (Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2006). It is critical that parents are equipped with developmentally appropriate options for these coping strategies, applicable when previously relied upon coping strategies are not available (e.g., during social distancing or quarantine-related disruptions in daily routines). For example, families can problem-solve together by creating a list of safe and fun activities to relax and connect during the pandemic – perhaps by distracting themselves from the stressor by going for a family walk or listening to a family audiobook.

Authors

• Abagail Lynn Horton, University of Connecticut
  Presenting Author

• Beth S Russell, University of Connecticut

• Rachel Tambling, University of Connecticut