Poster #116 - Profiles of Jordanian children’s behavioral problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: Links with mothers’ psychological functioning

• In Event: Poster Session 13

Abstract

Government restrictions implemented in 2020 and 2021 to contain the COVID-19 virus have upended the daily lives of families and disrupted support systems. Repeated closures of schools and child-care centers challenged parents with coordinating remote education and constant at-home care. Especially for vulnerable families with limited resources, these changes can exacerbate or manifest feelings of isolation and stress (Larsen et al., 2022). In Jordan, the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impact (UNICEF Jordan, 2020). For many Jordanian and Syrian refugee families, the pandemic disrupted employment and limited families’ ability to meet their subsistence needs (UNICEF Jordan, 2020). Additionally, pandemic-related disruptions might lead to changes in children’s behavioral problems that may influence parents’ psychological functioning (Sun et al., 2022).
The present study utilized a person-centered approach to identify distinct profiles of child behavior problems among 50 preschool-aged children from Jordan (42% male; Mage=53.42 months, SD=3.50). We investigated (a) what profiles can be identified from mother-reported internalizing and externalizing child behavior problems at four time points before (fall/winter 2019) and during the pandemic (June 2020, December 2020, and June 2021). We also explored to what extent (b) demographic characteristics (child age and sex, family income) predicted profiles and (c) profiles related to mothers’ psychological functioning (self-reported parenting stress, depressive symptoms, parenting practices).
Child behavior problems were assessed using the Arabic parent-report version of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (Alyahri & Goodman, 2006). Mothers’ psychological functioning was measured using the Arabic version of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (depressive symptoms; Al-Amer et al., 2020; AlHadi et al., 2017) and the translated parenting stress items from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (Cooper et al., 2009) and the Child Rearing Practices Report (warmth and control; Block et al, 1983).
We identified internalizing and externalizing child behavior profiles using longitudinal k-means clustering with all four time points. The optimal solution was three profiles for each aspect of child behavioral problems (Figure 1 and Table 1). Significant differences between profiles were found for externalizing behavior problems with regard to child sex for (p=.043) and for internalizing behavior problems with regard to family income (p=.005) and mother education (p=.037). For externalizing problems, the odds of profile membership in the high and stable profile (compared to the low and decreasing profile) was higher for boys (0.13, p=.042) but no different when comparing the high and stable and the mid and stable profiles. For internalizing behavioral problems, profile membership was significantly related with maternal depressive symptoms (p=.010) and parenting practices (warmth; p=.024) at the last time point (June 2021). Mothers of children in the high and increasing profile reported significantly more depressive symptoms than mothers of children in low and stable profile (p=.010). Additionally, mothers of children in the low and stable profile showed more warmth in their parenting compared to mothers of children in the mid and decreasing profile (p=.025). We will discuss implications regarding the impact of crisis (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic) on the family system and how patterns of change in children’s behavior problems impact parents.

Authors

• Antje von Suchodoletz, New York University Abu Dhabi

• Rahma Ali, New York University Abu Dhabi

• Aleksandrina Dimova, New York University Abu Dhabi
  Presenting Author

• Tessa McNaboe, New York University

• Rana Dajani, Hashemite University