Parenting in a Pandemic: Parental Stress, Anxiety and Depression Among Parents During the Government‐Initiated Physical Distancing Measures Following the First Wave of COVID‐19.

Background: In the unpredictable times of the ongoing global coronavirus disease (COVID-19), parents worldwide are affected by stressors and strains that follow in the wake of the government-initiated distancing protocols.Objective: In a two‐wave longitudinal survey, we examined levels of parental perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression among a sample of parents at two time points; in the midst of the strictest government-initiated physical distancing protocols following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1, N = 2868) and three months after the protocols discontinued (T2, n = 1489). Further, we investigated the levels of parental stress, anxiety, and depression relative to perceived relationship quality and anger aimed at child(ren) at the two time points, including subgroups based on age, sex, cultural background, civil status, education level, number of children in household, employment status, and pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis.Methods and findings:Parents were asked to fill out a set of validated questionnaires on the two measurement occasions. As expected, the findings indicate that the high levels of parental stress significantly decreased from T1 to T2, indicating that the cumulative stressors that parent’s experiences during distancing protocols declined as a function of the phaseout of the protocols. The decrease of perceived parental stress at the two time points, was accompanied by a significant decrease in symptoms of both depression and anxiety among the participating parents. Symptoms meeting the clinical cut-off for depression (23.0%) and generalized anxiety disorder (23.3%) were reported among participating parents at T1, compared to 16.8% and 13.8% respectively at T2. Reduction in depression and angry at child(ren) from T1 to T2 were further associated with a reduction in perceived parental stress. In addition, relationship quality and angry at child(ren) at T1 predicted change in parental stress. Conclusions: The findings underline some of the negative psychological impact of physical distancing protocols on parent’s health and well-being. Parents who are facing physical distancing and remaining at home with their children may be particularly vulnerable to parental stress, anxiety and depression. Uncovering the nature of how these constructs are associated to parents and families facing social crisis, such as the ongoing pandemic, can contribute to design relevant interventions to reduce parental stress and strengthen parental coping and resilience.Keywords: COVID-19 lockdown, parental stress, anxiety, depression, social distancing.

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Financial Literacy Among Hong Kong’s Chinese Adolescents

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x17753813 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 548-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alex Yue Feng Zhu ◽

Kee Lee Chou

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Financial Literacy ◽

Family Income ◽

Critical Role ◽

Chinese Adolescents ◽

Financial Behavior ◽

Entry Points ◽

The Government ◽

Role Of Parents

Against today’s global backdrop where financial responsibility has been transferred from the government to individuals, financial literacy, as a key component of financial capacity, could be an effective strategy to escape from lifecourse poverty. Compared with young adults, research demonstrates that financial literacy among adolescents is of greater importance. The present study fills the theoretical gap to measure the financial literacy of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents by validated Financial Fitness for Life (FFFL) Test, and explore its development by fitting data collected in Hong Kong into a model of socialization and a model of general poverty and comparing their ability to explain the link between family income and the financial literacy of adolescents. The results of the model of socialization show that parental financial behavior can explain the link between family income and the financial literacy of adolescents. The results of the model of general poverty are associated with better influential power, showing that the same link can be mediated by both parental stress and positive parenting behavior. The findings of this study specify the critical role of parents, offer specific entry points for interventions by policymakers and educators, and provide parents with pathways to positively influence the development of financial literacy among adolescents.

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Prevalence of the Effects of Anxiety and Depression on People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Analysis of Health Policy Studies in Improving the Quality of Life of Poor Families in the Urban Areas of West Lombok, Indonesia

Current Diabetes Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573399816666200802183738 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. 1002-1010

Author(s):

Chairun Nasirin ◽

Andries Lionardo

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Economic Conditions ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Health Examination ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The Government

Background: To explore the tendency of the effects of anxiety and depression that occur in type 2 diabetes patients, especially poor patients who live in the urban areas with poor economic conditions, who do not have health access from the government, and live away from the hospitals. Methods: It is a cross-sectional study which aimed to determine the number of patients who experienced anxiety and depression problems due to the declining health conditions caused by diabetes. A sample size of 98 diabetics experiencing anxiety and depression when the treatment was carried out was included. The study design included a qualitative study with in-depth interviews with respondents who were at risk of diabetes, as well as to determine the level of anxiety and depression that occurred when medical care was provided and the feelings experienced by the respondents after the completion of treatment. Results: Diabetic patients are generally unaware that their illness is a chronic disease that takes a long time to treat. When the patients are sick, most of them do not immediately go to the hospital or a specialist to get their health examination and treatment, because the hospital is far from the patients’ residence. Furthermore, some patients still use traditional medicine and non-medical treatment, so when the patients with critical conditions are taken to the hospital, they already have chronic diabetes. Conclusions: The lack of access to health for chronic patients with poor economic conditions who live far from the hospitals and the scarcity of medical staff to carry out treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes for poor patients in urban areas certainly have an impact on increasing the number of patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, the government is expected to be able to provide easy health policies to remote rural communities in order to achieve optimal community welfare and health.

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Effect of COVID-19-induced Home Quarantine on Parental Stress and its Relationship With Anxiety and Depression Among Children in Guilan Province

Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology ◽

10.32598/ijpcp.26.3402.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (3 Special Issue on COVID-19) ◽

pp. 280-293

Author(s):

Sajjad Rezaei ◽

◽

Azadeh Sameni Toosarvandani ◽

Azra Zebardast ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parental Stress ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Psychological Effect ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Parental Form ◽

Event Scale ◽

Statistical Population ◽

Children’S Depression ◽

The Impact ◽

Guilan Province

Objectives: Acute attacks of epidemics and the physical risk have adverse severe psychological effects on children due to their lower protective capacity. This study aimed to determine home quarantine’s psychological effect because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on parental stress and its relationship with anxiety and depression in children. Methods: This research was conducted during 17-26 March 2017 - the initial stages of the Iranian people’s public call for quarantine - in Guilan province. The study’s statistical population included all children aged 5 to 12 years and their parents who were purposefully sampled, and 181 people responded voluntarily to the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4)-Parental Form and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). For data analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and regression analysis were used. Results: After eliminating the effect of demographic variables, it was found that more parents› scores on the intrusion subscale (β=0.568, P=0.004) and hyperarousal (β=0.772, P<0.0001) could predict more anxiety scores. None of the IES-R components in parents could predict children’s depression scores (P>0.05). In general, the higher parental scores on IES-R, the more likely the child to have anxiety scores (β=0.258, P=0.011) and depression (β=0.325, P<0.0001) in children. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be said that the psychological effect of home quarantine caused by Covid-19 pandemic in parents can have a devastating impact on children’s anxiety and depression, and these results necessitate the training programs of psychological support for parents and their children.

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Summary of Research on Occupational Health Psychology of Social Workers

International Journal of Business and Applied Social Science ◽

10.33642/ijbass.v7n8p8 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 59-63

Author(s):

Xinying Chen

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Psychology ◽

Social Work ◽

Health Status ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Social Workers ◽

Psychological Stress ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Occupational Health Psychology ◽

The Government

With the cultivation of the government, the team of social workers continues to grow. The occupational mental health status of social workers has been paid more and more attention. Based on screening and combing the existing literature on occupational health psychology of social workers in China, this paper summarizes and reviews the research on psychological stress, anxiety and depression, and job burnout of social workers, extracts solutions and strategies from the existing research results, and hopes to be helpful to the construction and development of local social work talent team.

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The Impact of Parental Stress on Italian Adolescents’ Internalizing Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18158074 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 8074

Author(s):

Ziqin Liang ◽

Claudia Mazzeschi ◽

Elisa Delvecchio

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Online Survey ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Expressive Suppression ◽

The Family ◽

The Impact

The challenges and consequences of COVID-19 imposed massive changes in adolescents’ daily routines (e.g., school closures, home confinement, and social distancing rules), which impacted their mental health. This longitudinal study aimed to better understand the changes in adolescents’ internalizing symptoms and the underlying mechanisms of parental stress due to COVID-19. We asked 1053 parents of adolescents to complete an online survey during the second and fifth weeks and at the end of home confinement (i.e., four weeks later). Results showed that parents reported their adolescents’ anxiety and depression symptoms were more severe at Time 2 than at the first administration. Anxiety symptoms slightly decreased at Time 3, while there was no significant change in depression symptoms. Moreover, parents’ expressive suppression mediated the association between parental stress and adolescents’ anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. The findings suggest that as restriction increased, adolescents’ anxiety and depression became more severe. Moreover, due to the link between parental stress and adolescents’ internalizing disorders helping families to cope with the distress due to the pandemic may have a positive impact on parents, the child, and the family as a whole (i.e., the family climate).

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Analysis of the dynamics of anxious and depressive states of participants in the educational process in countries with different restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Казанский педагогический журнал ◽

10.51379/kpj.2021.148.4.046 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

И.А. Корецкая ◽

И.В. Денисов

Keyword(s):

Depression Scale ◽

Educational Process ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Hospital Anxiety ◽

The Government ◽

Two Stages ◽

Restrictive Measures ◽

National Languages ◽

Detection Of Depression

Пандемия COVID-19, начавшая в феврале 2020 года, продолжается до сих пор. Изменения в эмоциональной сфере произошедшие в начале пандемии эволюционировали в зависимости от мер, принятых правительствами разных стран. Целью данного исследования было сравнить тревожность и депрессивность у турецких и российских студентов в период пандемии. Исследование проводилось в два этапа: май 2020 года (ограничительные меры введены около 2-х месяцев) и декабрь 2020 года (ограничительные меры введены 9 месяцев). Выбор стран был обусловлен разным государственным отношением к эпидемиологической обстановке. В качестве методики исследования была выбрана госпитальная шкала тревоги и депрессии HADS (The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), разработанная для первичного выявления депрессии и тревоги. Выбор методики был связан с тем, что она переведена на национальные языки России и Турции и соответствует всем психометрическим требованиям. В России, где меры, принятые правительством, были менее жесткими, чем в Турции, уровни депрессии и тревоги снизились, в отличии от Турции, где данные уровни, наоборот, повысились. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in February 2020, continues to this day. The changes in the emotional sphere that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic have been evolving depending on the measures taken by the governments of different countries. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of anxiety and depression in Turkish and Russian students during the pandemic. The study was conducted in two stages: May 2020 (restrictive measures had been introduced for about 2 months) and December 2020 (restrictive measures had been introduced for 9 months). The choice of countries was determined by different state attitudes to the epidemiological situation. The HADS (The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), developed for the primary detection of depression and anxiety, was chosen as a research methodology. The choice of the technique was because it has been translated into the national languages of Russia and Turkey and meets all psychometric requirements. In Russia, where the measures taken by the government were less stringent than in Turkey, the levels of depression and anxiety decreased, in contrast to Turkey, where these levels, on the contrary, increased.

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Mechanisms of parental distress during and after the first COVID-19 lockdown phase: A two-wave longitudinal study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253087 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253087

Author(s):

Miriam S. Johnson ◽

Nora Skjerdingstad ◽

Omid V. Ebrahimi ◽

Asle Hoffart ◽

Sverre Urnes Johnson

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Well Being ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Parental Distress ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Time Points ◽

Number Of Children ◽

Cumulative Stress ◽

Health And Well Being

Background In these unpredictable times of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, parents worldwide are affected by the stress and strain caused by the physical distancing protocols that have been put in place. Objective In a two‐wave longitudinal survey, we investigated the levels of parental stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a sample of parents at two time points; during the implementation of the strictest physical distancing protocols following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1, N = 2,868) and three months after the discontinuation of the protocols (T2, N = 1,489). Further, we investigated the relationships between parental stress and anxiety and depression relative to relationship quality and anger toward their children at the two aforementioned time points, including subgroups based on age, parental role, cultural background, relationship status, education level, number of children, employment status and pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. Methods and findings Parents were asked to fill out a set of validated questionnaires on the two measurement points. Parental stress significantly decreased from T1 to T2, indicating that the cumulative stress that parents experienced during the implementation of the distancing protocols declined when the protocols were phased out. The decrease of perceived parental stress was accompanied by a significant decrease in the symptoms of both depression and anxiety among the participating parents. Symptoms meeting the clinical cut-offs for depression (23.0%) and generalized anxiety disorder (23.3%) were reported among participating parents at T1, compared to 16.8% and 13.8% at T2, respectively. The reduction in depression and anger toward their child(ren) from T1 to T2 was associated with a reduction of parental stress. Relationship quality and anger toward their child(ren) at T1 further predicted a change in the level of parental stress from T1 to T2. Conclusions The study underlines the negative psychological impacts of the implementation of the distancing protocols on parents’ health and well-being. Uncovering the nature of how these constructs are associated with parents and families facing a social crisis such as the ongoing pandemic may contribute to the design of relevant interventions to reduce parental distress and strengthen parental coping and resilience.

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Anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait: the importance of physical activity

Middle East Current Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s43045-020-00065-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Khaled E. Alsharji

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽

Gender Education ◽

Multiple Regression Models ◽

The Government

Abstract Background In Kuwait, as in much of the world, COVID-19 epidemic has been spreading since February 2020. The government of Kuwait has taken several measures to minimize virus spread. The epidemic and measures to contain it will likely psychologically influence individuals. This study investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Kuwaiti nationals and expats. The study’s secondary aim was to identify the association between sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity (PA) engagement, with psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait. A two-section survey was used to examine sociodemographic characteristics and PA engagement, and generalized anxiety (GAD-7) and depression symptoms (PHQ-9). Results Results of this study indicated that 53.7% and 59.6% of the respondents experienced anxiety and depression. The multiple regression models significantly predicted anxiety and depression (P < 0.001). In addition, PA, gender, education, and age were significantly associated with anxiety (P < .05), while PA, gender, age, and marital status were significantly associated with depression (P < .05). Conclusions Findings suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak may have a greater psychological impact on women, younger individuals, married people, and individuals with a bachelor’s degree. However, regular PA appears to be an important immediate and long-term factor in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression during an epidemic.

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Parenting in a Pandemic: Parental Stress During the Physical Distancing Intervention Following the onset of the COVID-19 Outbreak

10.31234/osf.io/3nsda ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Miriam S. Johnson ◽

Nora Skjerdingstad ◽

Omid V. Ebrahimi ◽

Asle Hoffart ◽

Sverre Urnes Johnson

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽

Online Survey ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Parental Distress ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

The Government

Objective: The main aim of the study was to examine levels of parental stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the general parental population (N = 2868) during the strict government-initiated physical distancing protocols following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We further investigated specific predictors of parental distress, including burnout, anger aimed at children, worry, lack of social support, lower perceived self-efficacy, and difficulty to work from home.Method: In this cross-sectional, epidemiological study, we disseminate an online survey that was administered two weeks after the government-initiated physical distancing protocols were established. Data were collected from March 31 to April 7. Results: Female parents compared to male parents and parents living with more than one child per parent or child(ren) with special needs compared to those living with one or fewer children per parent reported higher levels of parental stress. Burnout and social support were further associated with parental stress. Specifically, nearly one-fourth of the parents reported that they have felt burned out or in the proximity of feeling burned out more than half the days during the social distancing interventions. Also, 29% of the parents reported that they were angrier at their child(ren) than usual during the physical distancing period.Parents with a pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis had significantly higher parental stress compared to individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis. The reported prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms above standardized cutoff levels among the 2868 parents was 25.4% for depression and 24.1% for anxiety, with the highest prevalence score on both symptoms of anxiety (37.6%) and depression (38.5%) for the youngest parents (age group 21–30 years). Furthermore, the parents who were home with their children and predominantly followed distancing protocol by socially distancing from public activity and peers (i.e., at least 10 out of 14 days) had significantly higher symptoms of depression (29%) and anxiety (27%), compared to parents who did not isolate in the same manner (i.e., depression 13% and anxiety 15%). Conclusions: The present study reveals that home confinement during the restricted lockdown period is related to markedly high levels of parental stress, in addition to symptoms of depression and anxiety in parents. Given the detrimental effects of depression, anxiety, and parental stress on the quality of life, morbidity rates, as well as adverse child outcomes and the potential risk of child abuse and neglect, these results suggest that appropriate action should be taken to impede further development of these symptoms, as well as developing interventions aimed at vulnerable subgroups and other relevant factors associated with increased parental stress. Keywords: COVID-19 lockdown, parental stress, depression, anxiety

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