Poster #84 - Parenting Practices, Stress, and Child Anxiety and Depression in Rural Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Poster Session 19

Abstract

Introduction: Drastic changes in day to day living due to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to higher levels of parenting stress (Rodrigue & Tamo, 2020) and mental health issues in children (Elharake, et al., 2021). However, there remains a lack of sufficient research addressing how parenting strategies and stress may have affected children’s mental health in rural populations across the United States. This study aims to examine parenting strategies and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and their relation to children’s anxiety and depression symptoms in rural communities.
Method: Our sample consisted of 595 parents who reported on their child who most recently had a birthday (see Table 1). Parents were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk and received a small monetary award for participation. Data collection was completed in May, 2020. Measures consisted of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Frick, 1991), a modified version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale 25-Parent Version (Ebesutani et al., 2017), and Parental Stress Scale (Berry, 1995). Each participant’s Zip Code was used to find the percent of their county population that was rural according to the 2010 Census (rural percentage) as well as if that location met the requirements of the Rural Health Clinic certification (RHC; Rural Health Information Hub, 2022).
Results: According to an independent-samples t-tests, parents living in RHC areas (M=34.2, SD=11.2) compared to those who did not (M=36.8, SD=11.4) demonstrated significantly lower parental stress, t(574)=2.36, p< .05. Pearson correlations revealed a significant positive correlation between rural percentage and positive parenting (r=.09, p<.05) as well as a significant negative correlation with inconsistent discipline, (r=-.14, p<.01) and child anxiety, (r=-.11, p<.01). No significant correlations were found between rural percentage and parental involvement or depression. Multiple linear regressions were ran to predict child anxiety and depression based on parenting strategies and parental stress in RHC locations. Inconsistent discipline (B=.74, p< .001) and parental stress (B=.25, p<.001) were significant predictors of child anxiety (F(4,129)=22.32, p<.001). Similarly, inconsistent discipline (B=.40, p<.001) and parental stress (B=.15, p<.001) were significant predictors of child depression (F(4,133)=22.22, p<.001). Positive parenting and involvement with children were not significant predictors in either regression.
Discussion: Inconsistent discipline and parental stress were found to be significant predictors of child anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural parents were more likely to engage in positive parenting practices and less likely to be inconsistent in disciplining their children. Rural parents also reported lower parental stress, which resemble previous findings that highlight lower stress levels among rural parents (Rodrigue & Tamo, 2020). Despite studies finding that rural communities may be at increased risk of mental health issues (Monteith, et al., 2020), current findings suggest rural parents experienced less stress and displayed more positive parenting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may serve as a protective factor against their children experiencing increased anxiety and depression symptoms.

Authors

• Elissa Rosebraugh, Wichita State University
  Presenting Author

• Amanda Abeywickrama, Wichita State University

• Samantha Gregus Slade, Wichita State University

• Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• Melissa Faith, Johns Hopkins Medicine