“A toy plane in my home office”: Mothers’ perceptions of the reflections of the COVID-19 pandemic on their family relations and children’s play behaviours

Abstract

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which promotes social distance and hygiene measures affected children’s social life and mental health. Very little is currently known about how the pandemic changed the children’s family relations and plays. The aim of this study is to reveal the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family relations and young children’s play behaviors.MethodsFocus group interview was conducted with five mothers of 36 month-old children. Data were analyzed using content analysis.ResultsAnalysis revealed three main themes that (i) understanding the COVID-19, (ii) reflections of the COVID-19 outbreak on the family relations, (iii) reflections of the COVID-19 outbreak on the children’s play and play materials. Children had knowledge about COVID-19 with exposure to news and changing home routines and from explanations of family members. Pandemic restrictions had positive and negative impacts on the family relations. Satisfaction from parenting, being together with family members and children’s receiving more input from their parents and environment were evaluated as positive impacts of pandemic restrictions while parents’ feeling psychologically overwhelmed, children’s exposing oppressive behaviors and having developmental regression reflected to the family relationships negatively. Children’s plays included many concepts related to COVID-19. They experienced the restriction of their outdoor play and bringing some equipments for parks to provide hygiene. There was an increase in screen interaction and the number of toys. Children who deprived from their peers learned how they can interact and play with their peers without any contact.ConclusionsPandemic outbreak had a wide range of negative and positive consequences on family life practices, parents’ emotional well-being, children’s play patterns. These findings can help find effective ways to conserve and promote children’s and their families’ health in pandemic and recovery process.