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Family Function and Child Adjustment Difficulties in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Foley

    (Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK)

  • Farzaneh Badinlou

    (Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden
    Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 117 63 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Karin C. Brocki

    (Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Matilda A. Frick

    (Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Luca Ronchi

    (Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Claire Hughes

    (Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RQ, UK
    i-FAM COVID-19 Consortium.)

Abstract

To estimate specific proximal and distal effects of COVID-19-related restrictions on families on children’s adjustment problems, we conducted a six-site international study. In total, 2516 parents from Australia, China, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America living with a young child ( M age = 5.77, SD = 1.10, range = 3 to 8 years, 47.9% female) completed an online survey between April and July 2020. The survey included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and family risk factors (parent distress, parent–child conflict, couple conflict, and household chaos) as well as a scale to index COVID-19-related family disruption. Our analyses also included public data on the stringency of national restrictions. Across the six sites, parental responses indicated elevated levels of hyperactivity, conduct, and emotion problems in children from families characterized by heightened levels of parent distress, parent–child conflict, and household chaos. In contrast, increased peer problems were more strongly related to COVID-19-related social disruption and stringency measures. Mediation models demonstrated that associations between COVID-19 social disruption and child difficulties could be explained by parental distress. Taken together, these results suggest that although the experience of the pandemic differed across countries, associations between COVID-19-related family experiences and child adjustment difficulties were similar in their nature and magnitude across six different contexts. Programs to support family resilience could help buffer the impact of the pandemic for two generations.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Foley & Farzaneh Badinlou & Karin C. Brocki & Matilda A. Frick & Luca Ronchi & Claire Hughes, 2021. "Family Function and Child Adjustment Difficulties in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11136-:d:663116
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Ezra Golberstein & Gilbert Gonzales & Ellen Meara, 2019. "How do economic downturns affect the mental health of children? Evidence from the National Health Interview Survey," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(8), pages 955-970, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Markus Stracke & Miriam Heinzl & Anne Dorothee Müller & Kristin Gilbert & Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup & Jean Lillian Paul & Hanna Christiansen, 2023. "Mental Health Is a Family Affair—Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Associations between Mental Health Problems in Parents and Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Verena Barbieri & Christian Josef Wiedermann & Anne Kaman & Michael Erhart & Giuliano Piccoliori & Barbara Plagg & Angelika Mahlknecht & Dietmar Ausserhofer & Adolf Engl & Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, 2022. "Quality of Life and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents after the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Large Population-Based Survey in South Tyrol, Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Barbara Forresi & Ludovica Giani & Simona Scaini & Giampaolo Nicolais & Marcella Caputi, 2023. "The Mediation of Care and Overprotection between Parent-Adolescent Conflicts and Adolescents’ Psychological Difficulties during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Which Role for Fathers?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-15, January.

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