The Importance of Parent-Child Communication During COVID-19: Implications for Youth’s Health Behavior and Psychological Well-Being

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Abstract

During COVID-19, youth’s protective health behavior (e.g., practicing social distance) and psychological well-being may be particularly concerning, as adolescence is known as a developmental stage marked by the onset of behavioral and emotional problems (Chen & Jacobson, 2012; Lee et al., 2014). Given the important role of parents in children’s development during adolescence (Hoskins, 2014), it is necessary to identify parental factors that may promote youth’s health behavior as well as their psychological well-being. Past studies consistently demonstrate that parent-child communicaiton has a positive effect on adolecent behavioral and emotional development across cultures (Luk et al., 2010; Kapetanovic et al., 2020). During the pandemic, communication between parentsd and youth may contribute to greater closeness in parent-child dyads, leading youth to engage in more protective health behavior and experience less depression and anxiety.

Using a sample of 310 Chinese parent-child dyads (Mean age of youth = 13.35 years; 50% girls), this two-wave longitudinal study examined how COVID-specific and general parent-child communication play a role in youth’s health behavior and psychological well-being over the span of two months during the pandemic, with attention to parent-child closeness as the underlying mechanism. At each wave, youth reported on their COVID-related health behavior (e.g., “practicing social distance”), depression (e.g., “feeling miserable or unhappy”), and anxiety (e.g., “feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge”). At Wave 1, two types of parent-child communication — COVID-specific communication (e.g., parent discuss with youth about the ways to protect themselves from COVID-19) and general communication (e.g., parents help youth to talk about their difficulties) — were also assessed. Given the interest in the potential mediating role of parent-child closeness, a feeling of closeness from both parents’ and youth’s perspectives were assessed at both waves.

Results showed that more COVID-specific communication was predictive of youth’s increased protective health behavior two months later (β = .17, p < .01), controlling for youth’s prior health behavior. Moreover, more general communication was predictive of youth’s less depression and anxiety over time (depression: β = -.22, p < .001; anxiety: β = -.13, p < .05, controlling for youth’s prior depression and anxiety. Notably, the effects of COVID-specific communication and general communication remain the same even after taking into account both types of communication simultaneously. In addition, as shown in Figure 1 and 2, the effects of these two types of parent-child communication on youth’s adjustment were mediated by increased parent-child closeness. Indirect effects were signifincat in all models and there were at least 17% reductions in the total effects.

Taken together, the present research highlights the importance of parent-child communication inyouth’s behavioral and emotional adjustment during the pandemic, and elucidates the underlying mechanism through which parent-child communication affects youth’s adjustment during COVID-19. Interventions and policy recommendations aiming at improving youth’s protective health behavior and psychological well-being should take into account the effectiveness and necessity of both COVID-specific parent-child communication and general parent-child communication.

Authors

• Beiming Yang, Northwestern University
  Presenting Author

• Bin-Bin Chen, Fudan University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yang Qu, Northwestern University
  Non-Presenting Author