Parenting stress and children’s socio-emotional outcomes in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

The spread of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted all aspects of life since it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Although the majority of the population from all sectors of society have been impacted by the pandemic, parents and caregivers faced unique, and possibly greater challenges with increased caregiving and household responsibilities, increasing vulnerability to stress. Additionally, young children have also been subjected to major disruptions in their everyday routine. This included changes in learning format (remote vs. in-person learning) that necessitated children to adjust and cope, particularly those from disadvantaged households.

This symposium reports findings from two different geographical and cultural contexts: Turkey and the United States. Each study aims to examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on various aspects of parenting and child development. In particular, this symposium reports findings on the relations among mother’s emotional availability and children’s behavior problems; parenting stress, child temperament, and sleeping behaviors; in-person vs. remote learning and children’s attachment and self-control; and parenting stress, self-compassion, and hope. The overarching goal of these studies is to understand and identify factors and pathways that can help parents and children maintain a positive wellbeing and developmental trajectory in the midst of a chronic stressful situation. The symposium will present both quantitative and qualitative findings, together with implications for parents, school teachers and administrators, developmentalists, and counselors.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Aileen Garcia, University of Missouri - Columbia

Individual Presentations

• Turkish Mother’s Emotional Availability and Children’s Behavior Problems During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study - Presenting Author: Ibrahim Hakki Acar, Özyeğin University; Gizem Arıkan; Asiye Kumru; Fatma Özge Ünsal

• Contributions of Child Temperament and Parenting Stress on Sleep Behaviors During the Pandemic in Turkey - Presenting Author: Özge Barata, Ozyegin University; Ibrahim Hakki Acar, Özyeğin University

• Relations Among Self-Compassion, Hope, and Parenting Stress During the Covid-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Aileen Garcia, University of Missouri - Columbia; Staci Born, South Dakota State University; Christin L. Carotta, South Dakota State University; Erin Lavender-Stott; Hung-Ling Liu

• Social-Emotional Outcomes Among In-Person and Remote Learners in Early Head Start During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Amy Encinger, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC); Amy Lapointe; Peggy LaRose; Sarah Baird; Brittney Stansberry