Longitudinal Relationships Between Parent's Perceptions of Family Conflict and Children's Emotion Regulation Outcomes During COVID-19.

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic altered the daily routines of families nationwide by initiating stay at home orders, school closures, cancellation of activities, and other noteworthy disruptions to family routines. Family distress is common during a crisis, and quarantines like those imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, constitute a period of uncertainty that can be stressful for children (Kramer, 2010; Kramer et al., 2020). Sibling relationships, which are among the longest-lasting relationships individuals will experience (Cicirelli, 2013), provide a unique opportunity for individuals to engage in and resolve emotional conflict during these unprecedented times. Moreover, parents play an important role as their children’s chief source of socialization for regulating stress (Kliewwer et al., 1996; Shipman et al., 2007). Research indicates positive, responsive parenting practices can have critical protective effects on children’s stress-related symptoms (Green et al., 2020; Taraban & Shaw, 2018). Additionally, positive family environment, and high-quality parent-child relationships are associated with adaptive coping in children (Kliewer, Fearnow, & Miller, 1996). Given the positive relationship between stress and conflict in the family (Patterson, 2002), the current study examines the role parent child and sibling conflict play on children’s emotion regulation and stress outcomes during the COVID-19 crisis.
Data were collected online from 110 participants (Mage=36.9 years, 53.3% female; see Table 1) April 27-28, 2020, and again 30 days later. Parents of school-aged children completed measures of stress (the COVID-Stressors Scale, Park et al., 2020; and the more general Perceived Stress Scale; Cohen, et al., 1983) and emotion regulation (the Emotion Regulation Checklist; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997); relationship qualities were assessed through parents’ perceptions of their relationship with their child (on the Child-Parent Relationship Scale; Driscoll & Pianta, 2011), and of their child’s interactions with a sibling (the Network of Relationships measure; Furman & Buhrmester, 2009). Associations between emotion regulation, parent-child relationship, and sibling relationships, and child stress and emotion regulation outcomes 30 days later were tested through multiple regression.
Bivariate associations with child stress at 30 days indicate the strongest associations with parents’ general stress, parent’s COVID-specific stress appraisals, sibling conflict, and parent-child conflict (Pearson’s rs ranging from .43 to .66, p<.001); significant associations with child negativity also indicate the same pattern (rs ranging from .40 to .76, p<.01). Given the strong correlation between child stress and negativity (r=.82, p<.01), multiple linear stepwise regressions predicted children’s negativity and stress separately. Results indicate 48% of the variance in child stress is significantly explained by parents’ general stress and parent-child conflict, respectively. Results indicate 66% of the variance in child negativity is significantly explained by conflict with a sibling, parents’ COVID-specific stressors, and parent-child conflict, respectively. Both significant models suggest parent-child conflict is the strongest predictor of child stress and negativity over the 30-day assessment period. Post-hoc analyses indicate significant group differences based on parents’ reports of having sufficient financial resources to meet their needs. Those with fewer resources reported higher COVID-specific stress appraisals and perceived child stress, greater parent child conflict, and higher child negativity (independent ts ranging from 2.43 to 4.59, p<.05).

Authors

• Abagail Lynn Horton, University of Connecticut
  Presenting Author

• Beth S Russell, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel Tambling, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author