Shockey Taylor M, Silver Sharon R, Mpofu Jonetta J
Division of Field Studies and Engineering, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Am J Ind Med. 2025 Sep;68(9):806-816. doi: 10.1002/ajim.70005. Epub 2025 Jul 19.
Parental job loss has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes and child abuse. This study examines associations between student and parental/household adult (referred to as "parent" for brevity) job loss and these outcomes among US high school students during a period of high job loss-early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) data from January to June 2021 were analyzed to obtain prevalence and adjusted prevalence ratios for select adverse mental health outcomes, short sleep, and emotional and physical abuse by a parent associated with student and parental employment status before and during the pandemic. The sample was composed of 7705 US high school students.
Over half of students (55.1%, 95% CI: 52.4%-57.8%) reported emotional abuse by a parent. Parental and student job loss were associated with adverse mental health outcomes and emotional abuse by a parent. However, only parental job loss was associated with physical abuse by a parent, which was reported by 15.3% of students (95% CI: 13.3-17.3). Students who lost a job during the pandemic reported a high prevalence of persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness (54.9%; 95% CI: 48.5-61.3) and poor mental health during the past 30 days (43.7%; 95% CI: 37.6-49.8).
The high levels of adverse mental health outcomes and child abuse associated with parental and student job loss highlight the need for better supports in this area. Identification of the causes and potential interventions related to child maltreatment in the context of household economic stress could help reduce the burden of negative outcomes.
父母失业与不良心理健康后果及虐待儿童行为有关。本研究调查了在新冠疫情早期失业率较高期间，美国高中生自身及父母/家庭成年人（为简洁起见简称为“父母”）失业与这些后果之间的关联。
分析了2021年1月至6月青少年行为与经历调查（ABES）的数据，以获取特定不良心理健康后果、睡眠不足以及父母在疫情前和疫情期间因学生及父母就业状况而实施的情感和身体虐待的患病率及调整后的患病率比值。样本包括7705名美国高中生。
超过半数的学生（55.1%，95%置信区间：52.4%-57.8%）报告遭受过父母的情感虐待。父母和学生失业与不良心理健康后果及父母的情感虐待有关。然而，只有父母失业与父母的身体虐待有关，15.3%的学生报告遭受过此类虐待（95%置信区间：13.3-17.3）。在疫情期间失业的学生中，持续感到悲伤和绝望的患病率很高（54.9%；95%置信区间：48.5-61.3），且在过去30天中心理健康状况不佳的比例为43.7%（95%置信区间：37.6-49.8）。
与父母和学生失业相关的高水平不良心理健康后果及虐待儿童行为凸显了在这一领域提供更好支持的必要性。识别家庭经济压力背景下与儿童虐待相关的原因及潜在干预措施，有助于减轻负面后果的负担。
