The interplay between parenting and environmental sensitivity in the prediction of children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors during COVID-19

Abstract

The interplay of parenting and environmental sensitivity on children’s behavioral adjustment during, and immediately after, the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions was investigated in two longitudinal studies involving Italian preschoolers (Study 1, N = 72; 43% girls, Myears = 3.82(1.38)) and primary school children (Study 2, N = 94; 55% girls, Myears = 9.08(0.56)). Data were collected before and during the first-wave lockdown (Studies 1 and 2) and one month later (Study 1). Parental stress and parent–child closeness were measured. Markers of environmental sensitivity in children were temperamental fearfulness and Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Results showed little change in externalizing and internalizing behaviors over time, but differences emerged when considering parenting and children’s environmental sensitivity. In preschoolers, greater parenting stress was related to a stronger increase in internalizing and externalizing behaviors, with children high in fearful temperament showing a more marked decrease in externalizing behaviors when parenting stress was low. In school-aged children, parent–child closeness emerged as a protective factor for internalizing and externalizing behaviors during COVID-19, with children high in Sensory Processing Sensitivity showing a marked decrease in internalizing behaviors when closeness was high. Implications for developmental theory and practice in times of pandemic are discussed.

Psychopathological risk stability and change in a sample of mothers and preschool children before, during and after the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic

“…Our results showed a signi cant increase of dysregulation levels from T1 to T2 followed by a decrease trend from T2 to T3. As noted in the tools section, the dysregulation pro le is composed by internalizing and externalizing problems; a large amount of studies has now demonstrated that the pandemic has caused a strong increase in these di culties in children, especially in offspring as young as in our sample (see for example: [48,49]). Emotion regulation in preschoolers is crucial for positive outcomes in later life therefore this result rises serious concerns about possible negative consequences in the development of an entire generation of children (as every child in the world has been exposed, more or less directly, to the effects of the pandemic).…”

Protective and risk activities for emotional and behavioural well‐being of children and adolescents during the COVID‐19 lockdown

“…turn, influenced children's well-being and adjustment (Lionetti et al, 2022;Spinelli et al, 2020). The main aim of the present study was to investigate how and to what extend the activities performed at home during the lockdown by children and adolescents were related to their emotional and behavioural well-being.…”

“…Activities conducted at home were more limited and mostly carried out alone, or with the parent. These substantial changes in daily routines and activities had an impact on parents, and this, in turn, influenced children's well‐being and adjustment (Lionetti et al, 2022 ; Spinelli et al, 2020 ). The main aim of the present study was to investigate how and to what extend the activities performed at home during the lockdown by children and adolescents were related to their emotional and behavioural well‐being.…”

“…These sharing moments may play a protective factor for emotional and behavioural well-being of children and adolescents (Pallini et al, 2018(Pallini et al, , 2019 during such a challenging period. Recent studies provided evidences that parent-child emotional closeness indeed promoted an overall positive adjustment to the pandemic, particularly in children potentially more vulnerable due to specific inherited, temperamental traits (Lionetti et al, 2022).…”

Pathways to resilience: The parallel change in children’s emotional difficulties and family context during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.

“…Regarding this last process, findings resulting from longitudinal studies are still scarce. Italian children showed an increase in externalizing and internalizing behaviors when the quality of the parent–child relationship was low in closeness and when parents presented high levels of stress (Lionetti et al, 2022). Parent flexibility was associated with greater family cohesion, lower family discord and greater use of constructive parenting strategies during the COVID-19 lockdown, which in turn predicted lower child distress (Daks et al, 2020).…”