As the coronavirus disease pandemic spread across the United States and protective measures to mitigate its impact were enacted, parents and children experienced widespread disruptions in daily life. ...Our objective with this national survey was to determine how the pandemic and mitigation efforts affected the physical and emotional well-being of parents and children in the United States through early June 2020.
In June 2020, we conducted a national survey of parents with children age <18 to measure changes in health status, insurance status, food security, use of public food assistance resources, child care, and use of health care services since the pandemic began.
Since March 2020, 27% of parents reported worsening mental health for themselves, and 14% reported worsening behavioral health for their children. The proportion of families with moderate or severe food insecurity increased from 6% before March 2020 to 8% after, employer-sponsored insurance coverage of children decreased from 63% to 60%, and 24% of parents reported a loss of regular child care. Worsening mental health for parents occurred alongside worsening behavioral health for children in nearly 1 in 10 families, among whom 48% reported loss of regular child care, 16% reported change in insurance status, and 11% reported worsening food security.
The coronavirus disease pandemic has had a substantial tandem impact on parents and children in the United States. As policy makers consider additional measures to mitigate the health and economic effects of the pandemic, they should consider the unique needs of families with children.
Although it is accepted that experiences of child maltreatment are multidimensional and often include several correlated but distinct experiences, many clinical and research decisions regarding ...exposure and treatment do not consider their potential overlap or potential independence. The purpose of this meta-analysis—using a single retrospective self-report measure, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), in population-representative samples—was to investigate the magnitude and specificity of associations between forms of child maltreatment. A systematic review of studies available on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar was conducted, resulting in the inclusion of nine journal articles, 11 independent samples, and 25,415 participants. Data were converted from Pearson correlations to Z statistics and pooled using a random effects model. All maltreatment types were positively and significantly associated. Effect sizes varied from medium to large, with (1) physical abuse and emotional abuse (Z = 0.72, 95% CI .48, .96), (2) physical neglect and emotional neglect (Z = 0.62, 95% CI .43, .81), and (3) emotional abuse and emotional neglect (Z = 0.54, 95% CI .35, .72) demonstrating the strongest associations. These analyses provide evidence of the associations between types of child maltreatment, indicate the likelihood of shared risk, and point to characteristics that may link different types of maltreatment. These findings have important clinical implications as they may help guide comprehensive screening for associated maltreatment types as well as intervention and prevention efforts. Limitations include the relatively few studies included and those associated with the CTQ—a retrospective, self-report measure that does not account for the concurrence of experiences.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact families and children, understanding parental attitudes and likely acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is essential. We conducted a statewide survey ...with a representative sample of parents in Tennessee focused on COVID-19 and influenza vaccine acceptance and perspectives. Data from 1066 parents were analyzed using weighted survey methods to generalize results to the state of Tennessee. About 53% of parents reported a likelihood to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, and 45% were likely to vaccinate their child against COVID-19 and influenza. Female parents were less likely to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, but the strongest predictor of likely COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was influenza vaccine acceptance (adjusted odds ratio = 5.46; 95% confidence interval: 3.20-9.30). Parental acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines for children is closely tied to influenza vaccine acceptance. Public health approaches to maximize vaccine uptake could focus on children who have not been receiving influenza vaccines.
Parental reflective functioning is a potential target for promoting sensitive caregiving behaviors, particularly for parents at higher risk for difficulties in reflective functioning due to ...depressive symptomatology. The present study tested the modifiability of parental reflective functioning using a brief online intervention. Parents (
n
= 94; mean age = 34.20 years, SD = 5.20; 60% male; 79% White) living in the U.S. or Canada with at least one child (ages 18–36 months) were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants viewed photos of children engaged in activities and were randomized to instructions to look at the photos, reflect on the child’s mental state or reflect on the child’s physical state. The study examined whether parents’ reflection on their own child’s mental state differed as a function of directed reflection, the type of reflection, and in relation to depressive symptoms. The main effect of the intervention on parental reflection on their own child’s mental state was not significant. There was a significant interaction between the intervention and parents’ depressive symptoms, such that among parents with higher symptoms, directed reflection on mental state or physical state was associated with greater reflection relative to the control (i.e., look) condition. These results indicate that a brief online intervention may provide opportunities for enhanced parental reflective functioning among parents with elevated depressive symptoms.
Highlights
An intervention on directed thinking about children’s actions had no main effect on parents’ mental state reflection.
Parents’ mental state reflection did not differ when considering motivation or action of children engaging in activities.
For parents with higher depressive symptoms, directed reflection was associated with greater mental state reflection.
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