Italian Children’s Well-Being after Lockdown: Predictors of Psychopathological Symptoms in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

The first Italian lockdown imposed to fight the spread of COVID-19 caused important disruptions in families’ everyday lives. The main aim of this research was to investigate the predictors of psychopathology in children aged 5–10 years, immediately after the national 2-month lockdown. A total of 158 Italian parents (148 mothers, 10 fathers, mean age = 41 years) were recruited and asked to complete an online research concerning their 158 children (76 boys, mean age = 7.4 years). Parents completed questionnaires on parent–child conflict, resilience, temperament, behavior, and previous adverse childhood experiences. Hierarchical regressions showed that children’s psychopathology was predicted by low child resilience, high novelty seeking and harm avoidance, adverse experiences, and high flooding levels. Moreover, girls exposed to adverse experiences appeared more vulnerable to psychopathology. The recruitment of a convenience sample, the small sample size, and the cross-sectional design of our study limit the generalizability and interpretation of the present findings. Nonetheless, this research extends our knowledge of children’s functioning in such an exceptional period. Shedding light on predictors of children’s psychopathology following prolonged quarantine can indeed guide effective psychological interventions now and in future similar situations.

The Resilience of Caregivers and Children in the Context of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

“…Of the 17 studies included, 13 were quantitative (Caputi et al, 2021 ; Cusinato et al, 2020 ; Dominguez-Alvarez et al, 2020 ; Laufer & Bitton, 2021 ; Lim et al, 2021 ; Mariani Wigley et al, 2021 ; Marzilli et al, 2021 ; Mikocka-Walus et al, 2021 ; Nasir et al, 2021 ; Romero et al, 2020 ; Russell et al, 2022 ; Sorkkila & Aunola, 2021 ; Touloupis, 2021 ), two were qualitative (Guruge et al, 2021 ; Koskela et al, 2020 ), one was a policy brief (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2021 ), and one was a public health report (PHAC, 2020 ). The quantitative studies all used cross-sectional data collection except for Russel and colleagues ( 2022 ), who collected data at baseline and a 30-day follow-up.…”

“…Despite what is known regarding factors influencing caregiver resilience (e.g., family functioning, ability to adapt), research is unclear on whether children’s resilience has been impacted throughout the pandemic. Moreover, while some authors have explored caregiver and child resilience in silo from one another (Caputi et al, 2021 ; Cusinato et al, 2020 ; Mariani Wigley et al, 2021 ), the relationship between a caregiver’s resilience and that of their children remains largely unexplored.…”

“…Research is clear that experiencing adverse events, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is experienced differently by individuals and this may be in part to resilience (Bridgland et al, 2021 ; Coulombe et al, 2020 ; Cusinato et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2021 ). While studies have examined resilience among caregivers or their children distinct independently (Caputi et al, 2021 ; Cusinato et al, 2020 ; Mariani Wigley et al, 2021 ), few studies explore caregiver and child resilience together and fewer still nuance the effects of the pandemic based on social determinants of health (e.g., income, financial strain, employment, etc.). Specifically, the PHAC ( 2020 ) has called for research examining the intersection of social determinants of health, and the associated direct and indirect impacts of familial and child resilience in the context of COVID-19.…”

Distance learning environment: perspective of Italian primary and secondary teachers during COVID-19 pandemic

“…With respect to learning, the past 2 years witnessed an increase in the number of scientific works dedicated to exploring the effects of distance learning on students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Overall, the already-existing inequalities in educational opportunities further increased because of the lack of internet connectivity or access to digital devices necessary to engage in online lessons (Mac Domhnaill et al, 2021 ), with indirect detrimental consequences on academic achievement (Conto et al, 2021 ; Donnelly & Patrinos, 2022 ; Zierer, 2021 ) and students’ mental health (Caputi et al, 2021 ; Di Malta et al, 2022 ; Qin et al, 2021 ; Scarpellini et al, 2021 ).…”

Cooperation with Teachers as a Mediator of the Relationship between Family Conflict and Children’s Psychological Difficulties

“…It follows that when exchanges in the family are characterized by elevated rates of conflict, children and adolescents are more at risk of developing mental health issues both in the short- and long-term [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. This is particularly relevant during stressful times, such as the COVID-19 period [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. According to a recent study [ 22 ], parent–child conflict was highly frequent in families (77.9%) during COVID-19 pandemic, with 31.4% of families reporting an increase in conflict, compared with the previous year.…”