University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2023;44(2):e88-e94. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001147. Epub 2022 Dec 15.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated differences related to employment and family psychological health. However, empirical evidence examining COVID-19-linked differences concerning children and families remains scant. This study addresses this gap by examining sociodemographic differences associated with COVID-19 on family access to resources and family psychological health.
A telephone survey of 600 caregivers living in Mississippi was conducted from August 2020 to April 2021. Caregivers answered questions about levels of worry regarding themselves or their child contracting COVID-19 and impact of the pandemic on household income, access to resources, and family psychological health.
Multivariate models demonstrated that Black caregivers (n = 273; 45.5%) had increased odds of agreeing that they worry about contracting COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.57). Furthermore, as caregiver reported household annual income decreased, caregivers had increased odds of agreeing that they worry about contracting COVID-19 (OR = 1.16), lost job-related income (OR = 1.14), and had a hard time obtaining resources (OR = 1.16) because of the pandemic. No significant differences related to rural or urban residence were observed.
The findings highlight the need for pragmatic responses that are attuned to differences by providing more equitable access to resources for families. The findings suggest that strategies addressing family worry, obtaining job-related income support, and helping families obtain tangible resources may positively affect family psychological health. As population changes in vaccination rates and COVID variants emerge, reassessment of family and community impact seems indicated. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
COVID-19 大流行加剧了与就业和家庭心理健康相关的差异。然而，关于儿童和家庭与 COVID-19 相关的差异的经验证据仍然很少。本研究通过检查与 COVID-19 相关的社会人口学差异，研究了家庭获得资源和家庭心理健康方面的差异，从而填补了这一空白。
2020 年 8 月至 2021 年 4 月，对密西西比州的 600 名照顾者进行了电话调查。照顾者回答了关于自己或孩子感染 COVID-19 的担忧程度、大流行对家庭收入、资源获取和家庭心理健康的影响的问题。
多元模型表明，黑人照顾者（n = 273；45.5%）更有可能同意他们担心感染 COVID-19（优势比[OR] = 2.57）。此外，随着照顾者报告家庭年收入的减少，他们更有可能同意自己担心感染 COVID-19（OR = 1.16）、失去与工作相关的收入（OR = 1.14），并且由于大流行难以获得资源（OR = 1.16）。未观察到与农村或城市居住相关的显著差异。
这些发现强调了需要采取务实的应对措施，为家庭提供更加公平的资源获取渠道，以满足这些差异。这些发现表明，解决家庭担忧、获得与工作相关的收入支持以及帮助家庭获得有形资源的策略可能会对家庭心理健康产生积极影响。随着疫苗接种率和 COVID 变异体人口变化的出现，似乎需要重新评估家庭和社区的影响。讨论了限制和未来的研究方向。
