Poster #107 - Girls and Boys Symptoms of Stress and Performance of Chores During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Within-Family Study

• In Event: Poster Session 10

Abstract

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, children and families faced dramatic disruption of normal routines including school closures and unique financial strains. Early studies showed that, overall, adolescents’ well-being and mental health was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (Golberstein et al., 2020); however, contextual factors that shaped youth’s responses are still being researched. Cross-culturally, adolescent girls are called upon to perform more household chores and participate in childcare as compared to their male counterparts (Larson & Verma, 1999), patterns that may be exacerbated by the stress and life changes emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, research on adultification reveals that females are more likely to be called into homemaking and domestic duties when families are faced with financial stressors (e.g., financial hardship, low SES) or when a dramatic event, such as divorce, have occurred (Burton, 2007). In the present study, we explored the connections between gender, birth order, adolescents’ stress reactions and performance of chores during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a within-family study design, we expected that older sisters would experience greater stress and perform more chores as compared to older brothers as well as younger brothers and sisters.
Participants included one parent and two adolescent-aged children from 682 families participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Data for this study come from assessments following the start of COVID-19 pandemic, including a special shutdown wave assessment (May-June, 2020) and Wave 2 (Fall 2020). During the shutdown wave, older siblings (52% female) averaged 16.16 (SD = .69) years old, younger siblings (48% female) averaged 13.69 (SD = 1.13) years, and parents (84% mothers) averaged 45.79 (SD = 5.00) years. Two data collection procedures were utilized: First, parents and adolescents provided information on their relationships and adjustment, including self-reported stress symptoms (Fava et al., 1998), through annual web-based surveys. Second, in the month following the Wave 2 survey, youth completed a series of four weekend diaries reporting on their time spent in various activities, including chores (measured as proportion of total time performing chores). Mixed model factorial ANCOVAs (older and younger siblings’ gender as between subjects factors; birth order as the within subject factor) controlling for older siblings’ age and sibling age difference, were used to test the within family differences in youth’s stress reactions and participation in chores following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consistent with hypotheses, for adolescents’ stress reactions, findings revealed significant differences between older sisters and all other reporters. As can be seen in Figure 1, older sisters reported significantly more symptoms of stress as compared to all other youth. For chores, effects revealed that older sisters performed more chores than older and younger brothers, but not more than younger sisters. Discussion will focus on gender socialization during periods of stress, including girls historically being called upon to assist in parenting roles.

Authors

• Iliana Wilkinson, Utah State University
  Presenting Author

• Shawn D Whiteman, Utah State University