Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine.
Yale School of Nursing.
Am Psychol. 2021 Jul-Aug;76(5):729-743. doi: 10.1037/amp0000823. Epub 2021 May 13.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unanticipated and uncontrollable chronic stressor that is detrimental to the mental and behavioral health of children and families, particularly those from disadvantaged and marginalized backgrounds. Chronic stress impairs a myriad of prefrontal cortical functions, important for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, and has consequences on dyadic parent-child functioning. Informed by neuroscience and clinical evidence, sensitive parenting is a vital avenue of intervention that buffers against the toxic effects of COVID-19 on parent-child mental health. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we first discuss the neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms behind exacerbated mental health risks in families. We then highlight the role of sensitive parenting as a buffer against stress-related mental health problems, and conclude with recommendations for systemic-, family-, and individual-interventions to most effectively address stress-related mental health problems and their impact on children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情是一个意料之外且无法控制的慢性应激源，对儿童和家庭的心理和行为健康造成了损害，尤其是那些来自弱势和边缘背景的儿童和家庭。慢性应激会损害众多前额皮质功能，而这些功能对应对新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情至关重要，并且会对亲子功能产生影响。基于神经科学和临床证据，敏感型育儿是一种重要的干预途径，可以缓冲新型冠状病毒肺炎对亲子心理健康的毒性影响。在新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情背景下，我们首先讨论了家庭中心理健康风险加剧的神经生物学、心理和行为机制。然后，我们强调了敏感型育儿作为应对与压力相关的心理健康问题的缓冲作用，并得出结论，需要进行系统、家庭和个体干预，以最有效地解决与压力相关的心理健康问题及其对儿童和家庭的影响。
