Almost 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic: an update on parental stress, parent mental health, and the occurrence of child maltreatment

Abstract

Increased parental stress, poorer mental health, and an increase in the occurrence of child maltreatment (CM) have been reported in earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data from later phases of the pandemic are not yet available. We conducted a cross-sectional, representative survey among 1087 parents (48.8% female; mean age 41.72 years, SD = 9.15) in Germany in December 2021. Data were compared to a previous representative sample, assessed in August 2020 (N = 1024), and to normative scores of the outcome measures. Predictors for the occurrence of CM were analyzed by logistic regression. Pandemic-related stress and general stress were higher and physical and mental health were poorer in the December 2021 sample than in the August 2020 sample. Occurrence rates of CM varied between 5 and 56%. Verbal emotional abuse (n = 607, 56%), witnessing domestic violence (n = 446, 41%), and emotional neglect (n = 435, 40%) were most frequently reported. For these subtypes, parental risk for alcohol abuse (OR 2.1–2.7) and parental recent experience of violence (OR 2.1–5.1) were the strongest predictors. Across all subtypes of CM, parents reporting child maltreatment showed poorer scores on all stress outcomes, with medium–large-effect sizes. Results confirm a high burden within the families, almost 2 years into the pandemic. Occurrence rates of a broad spectrum of CM subtypes raise further concerns for the well-being of children. Family-oriented intervention efforts are needed to stabilize families and provide targeted support. Longitudinal studies are needed for a description of families at risk for poorer outcomes.

Parenting and pandemic pressures: Examining nuances in parent, child, and family well-being concerns during COVID-19 in a Canadian sample

“… On-going availability of government funding for those affected by job-loss or reduced employment hours due to pandemic-related closures. The results of this study—demonstrating associations between job loss and enhanced parent concerns for child and family—are aligned with other studies of pandemic-related child and family stress, and the broader family stress model framework that links economic stress and disruptions to family well-being ( 5 , 52 ). The Canadian Government responded to the COVID-19 crisis with numerous financial support offerings for those affected by job and income loss due to pandemic-related factors.…”

“…These data support that care-providers—particularly for children and families—should be aware of both the family stress and family systems frameworks when considering post-pandemic parenting concerns ( 20 , 40 ). Our results are complimentary to the findings from a longitudinal study during the pandemic by Calvano and colleagues ( 52 ) that advocate for family-oriented intervention efforts to mitigate risks for both parents and children in relation to parent-reported stress and psychological well-being during the course of the pandemic. Thus, it is critical that risk-mitigating policy targets are also considered in view of the results from the current study.…”

The change of psychosocial stress factors in families with infants and toddlers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal perspective on the CoronabaBY study from Germany

“…This is somewhat surprising, since the State-subscale of the STADI was used, which rather depicts short-term affective states. Elevated scores in acute response to the pandemic (or new emerged crises) were expected since other studies have shown higher affective symptoms in parents during COVID-19 [e.g., ( 55 )]. Nevertheless, more than half of the parents with depression and anxiety symptoms at baseline were still conspicuous at follow-up.…”

Barriers to participating in an online family- and group-based prevention programme for parents with depression: an online survey

“…The items considered a variety of aspects, such as barriers due to the online, family, and group setting, barriers due to parents' emotional concerns, barriers linking emotional concerns and the setting, and other barriers. Participants were able to indicate whether a barrier did not apply to them at all (not relevant to me [0]) or to what extent that barrier kept them away from participating in GuG-Auf-Online, if it applied (does not keep me away [1], keeps me away a little [2], keeps me away moderately [3], keeps me away quite a bit [4], and keeps me away a lot [5]). For example, if survey participants did not identify (exclusively) with the German culture their cultural heritage would be "relevant" to their decision to participate, but might not necessarily prevent them from taking part in the prevention programme ("does not keep me away").…”