Johnson Anna D, Martin Anne, Partika Anne, Phillips Deborah A, Castle Sherri
Department of Psychology Georgetown University Washington District of Columbia USA.
Independent Consultant New York New York USA.
Fam Relat. 2022 Feb;71(1):18-28. doi: 10.1111/fare.12597. Epub 2021 Sep 24.
The objective of this study was to explore whether household chaos measured during the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted by prepandemic parental and household characteristics.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered children's home environments and routines due to stay-at-home orders, school closures, and economic shocks. These disruptions have been especially challenging for low-income families who have limited resources and have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Household chaos, which captures routines, organization, stability, noise, and crowding in the home, is a documented threat to parent functioning and positive child development. The pandemic has likely exacerbated household chaos, especially for low-income families.
Data come from a larger, ongoing study of low-income children and their parents in Tulsa, Oklahoma; this analysis relies on data from the subset of low-income parents who responded to surveys when their children were in kindergarten (in 2018-2019) and during the pandemic, when their children were in first grade ( = 335). We use multivariate ordinary least squares regression models to test whether household chaos measured during the pandemic is predicted by prepandemic parental and household characteristics.
Prepandemic parental depression and household chaos were significantly predictive of chaos during the pandemic, even after accounting for household demographics.
The current study highlights pandemic-induced elevations in parental distress and household chaos among low-income families. Results will provide valuable direction to policymakers, educators, and parents on how best to offset negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family functioning and child development.
本研究的目的是探讨在新冠疫情期间所测量的家庭混乱状况是否可由疫情前的父母及家庭特征预测。
由于居家令、学校关闭和经济冲击，新冠疫情极大地改变了儿童的家庭环境和日常活动。这些干扰对资源有限且受疫情影响尤为严重的低收入家庭来说尤其具有挑战性。家庭混乱反映了家庭中的日常活动、组织、稳定性、噪音和拥挤程度，是对父母功能和儿童积极发展的一种有记录的威胁。疫情可能加剧了家庭混乱，尤其是对低收入家庭而言。
数据来自于对俄克拉荷马州塔尔萨市低收入儿童及其父母进行的一项规模更大的正在进行的研究；本分析依赖于低收入父母子集中的数据，这些父母在孩子上幼儿园时（2018 - 2019年）以及疫情期间孩子上一年级时回复了调查问卷（n = 335）。我们使用多元普通最小二乘法回归模型来检验疫情期间所测量的家庭混乱状况是否可由疫情前的父母及家庭特征预测。
即使在考虑了家庭人口统计学因素之后，疫情前父母的抑郁状况和家庭混乱状况仍能显著预测疫情期间的混乱状况。
当前的研究突出了疫情导致低收入家庭中父母困扰和家庭混乱状况的加剧。研究结果将为政策制定者、教育工作者和家长提供关于如何最好地抵消新冠疫情对家庭功能和儿童发展的负面影响的宝贵指导。
