scholarly journals Vulnerability pathways to mental health outcomes in children and parents during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jala Rizeq ◽  
Daphne J. Korczak ◽  
Katherine Tombeau Cost ◽  
Evdokia Anagnostou ◽  
Alice Charach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Functioning ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Reciprocal Effects ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Economic Vulnerability ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors

AbstractWe examined pathways from pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability to mental health difficulties and stress in families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from two time points from a multi-cohort study initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic were used. Parents of children 6–18 years completed questionnaires on pre-COVID-19 socioeconomic and demographic factors in addition to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning. Youth 10 years and older also completed their own measures of mental health and stress. Using structural equation modelling, pathways from pre-existing vulnerability to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning, including reciprocal pathways, were estimated. Pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability predicted higher material deprivation due to COVID-19 restrictions which in turn was associated with parent and child stress due to restrictions and mental health difficulties. The reciprocal effects between increased child and parent stress and greater mental health difficulties at Time 1 and 2 were significant. Reciprocal effects between parent and child mental health were also significant. Finally, family functioning at Time 2 was negatively impacted by child and parent mental health and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions at Time 1. Psychosocial and economic vulnerability is a risk factor for material deprivation during COVID-19, increasing the risk of mental health difficulties and stress, and their reciprocal effects over time within families. Implications for prevention policy and parent and child mental health services are discussed.

Engaging Refugee Families in a Family-Strengthening Intervention to Promote Child Mental Health and Family Functioning

2020 ◽  
pp. 257-269
Author(s):  
Rochelle L. Frounfelker ◽  
Tej Mishra ◽  
Bhuwan Gautam ◽  
Jenna M. Berent ◽  
Abdirahman Abdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Functioning ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Family Strengthening

scholarly journals Effects of Mindfulness-Based Parallel-Group Interventions on Family Functioning and Child and Parent Mental Health: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Mindfulness ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian-Wen Xie ◽  
Xiaolu Dai ◽  
Renhui Lyu ◽  
Shuang Lu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Functioning ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Gender ◽  
Parent Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Parallel Group

Abstract Objectives Involving parents and children in mindfulness-based interventions may holistically benefit family well-being. This meta-analysis systematically reviews and synthesizes the effects of mindfulness-based parallel-group (MBPG) interventions, which simultaneously involve parent and child, on family functioning, and the mental health of parents and children. Methods A total of 20 relevant studies were identified from 14 databases. The overall intervention effect size was estimated by pooled standardized mean difference. Moderator analyses were performed to explain the variability in intervention effects. Risk of bias and publication bias were also assessed. Results MBPG interventions showed minor-to-small positive effects on family functioning (d = 0.182, 95% CI [0.045, 0.319]), parental mental health (d = 0.238, 95% CI [0.110, 0.365]), and child mental health (d = 0.325, 95% CI [0.137, 0.513]). The effects of MBPG interventions on child mental health varied significantly by child age, child gender, recruitment setting, type of parent group, other activities in child group, other activities in parent group, and study design. Conclusions MBPG interventions show promising effects in improving mental health of both parents and children as well as in improving overall family functioning. However, significant variations exist in characteristics of participants, interventions, and study designs. Given the limited evidence currently available, more studies are needed to assess the determinants of effectiveness in MBPG interventions. Protocol Registration: PROSPERO #CRD42020164927

scholarly journals Family Functioning in the Time of COVID-19 Among Economically Vulnerable Families: Risks and Protective Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minxuan He ◽  
Natasha Cabrera ◽  
Jone Renteria ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Angelica Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Functioning ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Parent Engagement ◽  
Prosocial Behaviors ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Vulnerable Families ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has been particularly harmful to economically vulnerable families with young children. We surveyed 247 low-income mothers and fathers from 142 families in the United States about changes in their family life following the economic and social restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We examined the associations between pandemic-related risk factors such as economic stressors (e.g., loss of job) and social stressors (e.g., exposure to the virus) on family functioning (e.g., parents’ mental health, parent engagement, and children’s socioemotional behaviors) and the degree to which coparenting support and parents’ positivity protected families from the negative effects of these stressors on their wellbeing. We found both positive and negative associations. Mothers and fathers who reported more economic stressors since the pandemic also observed that their children behaved more prosocially and that fathers experienced more mental health difficulties during the pandemic. Mothers and fathers who reported more social stressors reported that they were less engaged with their children and their children exhibited more behavior problems compared to before the pandemic. We also found that mothers and fathers who reported feeling more positive also reported feeling less depressed and stressed during the pandemic and observed that their children had more prosocial behaviors compared to before the pandemic. Compared to before the pandemic, mothers and fathers who reported a more supportive coparenting relationship also reported more parent engagement and observed more prosocial behaviors in their children. In terms of protective factors, high levels of parent positivity during the pandemic protected mothers (less mental health difficulties) whereas high levels of coparenting support protected fathers (less mental health difficulties) from the negative effects of economic stress on their mental health during the pandemic. These findings highlight family processes that could promote resilience in mothers and fathers in the face of pandemic-related economic and social stressors.

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