The Well-Being of Young Latinx Children in Pandemic-Related Material Hardship and Maternal Psychological Distress

• In Event: The Well-Being of Young U.S. Latinx Children Within the Context of Parental Stress

Abstract

Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health disparities and social inequities in the United States (U.S.), for which the Latinx community is particularly vulnerable (Hibel et al., 2021) on metrics of morbidity and mortality, financial burdens, and further restricted access to basic needs, including work, food, and housing (CDC, 2020; Garcia et al., 2021). Within this community, Spanish-speaking Latinxs may be at a higher risk for exposure to COVID-19 due to socioeconomic conditions that disproportionately place them in frontline jobs and a lack of access to equitable resources and information, which may contribute to higher levels of overall stress (Mehring et al., 2021). The challenges Latinxs face have resulted in widespread material hardship, increased caregiving burden, especially for mothers, disruptions in social relationships, and related parental stressors. These difficulties may have long-lasting impacts on parents and the well-being of their children. Research has found that the pandemic has significantly increased psychological distress levels and mental health disorders among parents, particularly mothers, and children (Hamel & Salganicoff, 2020; Power, 2020). The current study bridges literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parent-child mental health and Latinxs by examining the mechanistic relationship between material hardship, maternal psychological distress, and child well-being in the context of the language spoken in the home.

Methods: A national sample of 609 Latinx mothers (English or Spanish speaking) of children ages 0 to 5 was used. Data were collected from April 2020 to April 2022 and were drawn from an ongoing large national study that uses weekly/biweekly surveys to assess the impact of the pandemic on households with young children (0–5 years old), with participants recruited through community organization email listservs, Facebook Ads, and panel services. Using regression analyses and a moderated mediation model within the structural equation modeling framework, pathways between material hardship (number of hardships; baseline), maternal psychological distress (during COVID-19, follow-up 1), home language, and child well-being (during COVID-19, follow-up 2) were tested. Eighty-one percent of the sample reported a home language of English, and 19% reported Spanish, permitting tests of moderation.

Results: Findings indicate that higher levels of material hardship were significantly associated with higher maternal psychological distress and poorer child well-being during the pandemic. Mediation analyses further revealed that the number of material hardships (baseline) was indirectly associated with poor child well-being (at follow-up 2) through elevated maternal psychological distress (at follow-up 1). The moderation effect of home language on this mediation model was non-significant. Regardless of whether Spanish or English is spoken at home, maternal psychological distress is a key pathway by which material hardship predicts child well-being in Latinx families with young children.

Conclusions: These findings highlight that ensuring equal and adequate access to financial resources and broader basic needs (including food, utilities, housing, childcare, and healthcare) is critical for Latinx mothers’ psychological well-being and promotes well-being in their young children. Finally, differences in patterns of outcomes should continue to be examined, given that the U.S. Latinx population includes individuals from various backgrounds with diverse experiences

Authors

• Ana Hernandez, University of Oregon
  Presenting Author

• Sihong Liu, Stanford University

• Maureen Zalewski, University of Oregon

• Philip Fisher, Stanford University