Adams Elizabeth L, Smith Danyel, Caccavale Laura J, Bean Melanie K
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
Front Psychiatry. 2021 Apr 8;12:626456. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626456. eCollection 2021.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused numerous unexpected challenges for many families, and these long-lasting demands likely contribute to higher stress for parents. The aim of this study was to describe changes in parent stress longitudinally from before (retrospective) to two timepoints during COVID-19. Stressors that influenced parenting and strategies to manage parenting difficulties at each timepoint during COVID-19 are also described. Parents ( = 433; 95% female) in the US with >1 child aged 5-18 years completed an online survey in May 2020 (T1; at the peak of stay-at-home mandates) and in September 2020 (T2; children's return to school). Surveys included the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and questions on parenting-specific stress, stressors that influenced parenting, and strategies to manage parenting difficulties during COVID-19. Retrospective report of pre-COVID-19 stress was assessed at T1; current stress was assessed at T1 and T2. Repeated measures analysis of variance examined changes in stress over time. Parent's stress increased from before COVID-19 to T1 (PSS score: 16.3 ± 5.7 to 22.0 ± 6.4, respectively; < 0.01), and decreased by T2 (19.2 ± 6.0), but remained elevated above pre-COVID-19 values ( < 0.01). Most parents (71.1%) reported an increase parenting-specific stress from before COVID-19 to T1, which continued to increase for 55% of parents at T2. Common stressors that impacted parenting during COVID-19 were changes in children's routines, worry about COVID-19, and online schooling demands. Common strategies parents used to manage parenting difficulties included doing family activities together, keeping in touch with family/friends virtually, and keeping children on daily routines. Parent stress increased substantially during COVID-19 and has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, suggesting the need for enhanced mental health resources and supports. Public health interventions should address parenting-specific stressors and effective strategies for managing parenting difficulties to mitigate their deleterious impact.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行给许多家庭带来了无数意想不到的挑战，而这些长期的需求可能会给父母带来更大的压力。本研究的目的是纵向描述从COVID-19之前（回顾性）到两个时间点父母压力的变化。还描述了在COVID-19期间每个时间点影响育儿的压力源以及管理育儿困难的策略。美国有一个以上5至18岁孩子的父母（n = 433；95%为女性）于2020年5月（T1；居家令高峰期）和2020年9月（T2；孩子返校）完成了一项在线调查。调查包括10项感知压力量表（PSS）以及关于育儿特定压力、影响育儿的压力源和在COVID-19期间管理育儿困难的策略的问题。在T1评估COVID-19之前压力的回顾性报告；在T1和T2评估当前压力。重复测量方差分析检验了压力随时间的变化。父母的压力从COVID-19之前到T1有所增加（PSS得分分别从16.3±5.7升至22.0±6.4；P<0.01），到T2时有所下降（19.2±6.0），但仍高于COVID-19之前的水平（P<0.01）。大多数父母（71.1%）报告称，从COVID-19之前到T1，育儿特定压力有所增加，在T2时，55%的父母的这种压力继续增加。在COVID-19期间影响育儿的常见压力源包括孩子日常活动的变化、对COVID-19的担忧以及在线学习需求。父母用来管理育儿困难的常见策略包括一起开展家庭活动、与家人/朋友保持虚拟联系以及让孩子保持日常作息。在COVID-19期间，父母压力大幅增加，且尚未恢复到COVID-19之前的水平，这表明需要增加心理健康资源和支持。公共卫生干预措施应解决育儿特定压力源以及管理育儿困难的有效策略，以减轻其有害影响。
