Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health, early childhood development, and parental practices: a global scoping review

Abstract

Background In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), generating stark economic and social repercussions that directly or indirectly affected families’ wellbeing and health status. Aims This review aims at mapping the existing evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health, early childhood development, and parental practices, worldwide, to identify evidence gaps and better inform future delivery of care and health policy measures. Methods Following the protocol defined by PRISMA-ScR, this scoping review has searched for relevant studies published between January 2020 and June 2021, selecting evidence sources based on pre-established criteria. From a total of 2,308 articles, data were extracted from 537 publications from 35 countries on all three health domains. Results The combined stressors brought forth by the pandemic have exerted a heavy burden on the mental health of mothers and the development of young children, partly mediated by its impact on parental practices. Conclusions Despite remaining gaps, we have identified sufficient evidence pointing to an urgent need for more concerted global research efforts and rapid policy responses to timely address severe and pervasive negative impacts to the mental health of mothers and children at a key developmental stage.

Lifestyle and quality of life in children and adolescents during the covid-19 social distancing period

“…Therefore, dysfunctional families are associated with mental distress and harmful parenting behaviors for children. 25 On the contrary, constructive parenting practices are associated with better family dynamics with consequent improvement in child development. Studies have shown that families with better socioeconomic levels have reorganized themselves in order to create a routine in the home environment aiming to reduce the harm in the lives of their children, including the use of the media as a way to promote physical activity in younger children, for example.…”

Locked down-locked in: experiences of families of young children with autism spectrum disorders in Delhi, India

“…These experiences were both universal ( 25 ) and specific to families of children with autism within the wider parenting experience of caregivers of children with disabilities during the pandemic ( 26 ). Importantly, these shared and unique challenges transcended geographical boundaries and were experienced by several families across low-, middle-and high-income country settings ( 25 , 27 ). We found that the majority of families within our sample received their main financial earnings from private employment or their own businesses both of which were impacted by the lockdown.…”

Trends in Gestational Weight Gain in Louisiana, March 2019 to March 2022

“…Third, this study was limited to the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term outcomes of this global disaster are unclear . This investigation supports accounting for timing of the pandemic and the nuances of GWG guidelines based on prepregnancy BMI (ie, less GWG recommended because individuals begin pregnancy heavier).…”