Dataset Information

Reciprocal effects between young children's negative emotions and mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate the relations between young children's negative emotions and their mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the public a certain degree of psychological symptoms, and family environments and relations have been changed dramatically as a result. The relations between young children's negative emotions and their mothers' mental health have not been sufficiently determined for the context of a pandemic or other large-scale crises.

Method

A survey was administrated on 8119 Chinese mothers of 3- to 6-year-old children with the Symptom Checklist 90 and the Child Negative Emotion Questionnaire.

Results

The canonical correlation results indicated that there were covariation trends between young children's anger and their mother's obsessive-compulsive symptoms and hostility, children's fear and mothers' phobic anxiety, and children's tension and mothers' interpersonal sensitivity and depression. These correlations were all positively significant.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the predictive power of young children's negative emotions to their mothers' mental health was greater than that of the reverse.

Implications

This study provides a scientific guidance on the regulation of young children's negative emotions and the improvement of mothers' mental health during the pandemic as well as potential emergencies in the future.

SUBMITTER: Wei Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9348407 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Reciprocal effects between young children's negative emotions and mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wei Yonggang Y Wang Lu L Zhou Qiao Q Tan Li L Xiao Yao Y

Family relations 20220519

<h4>Objective</h4>To investigate the relations between young children's negative emotions and their mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic caused the public a certain degree of psychological symptoms, and family environments and relations have been changed dramatically as a result. The relations between young children's negative emotions and their mothers' mental health have not been sufficiently determined for the context of a pandemic or ot ...[more]

PMID: 35942048

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Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the daily routines of children, with social distancing and quarantine leading to reduced social interactions and potential increased conflicts within families. These factors can increase the risk for anxiety and depression while reducing overall quality of life.MethodsOur study included 1843 school children aged 8 to 12 from 56 schools over a 2.5-year period before and during the pandemic. This multi-wave cross-sectional study utilized baseline data from an optimization trial of an indicated preventive intervention. The main outcomes were self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, and quality of life was the secondary outcome measure. Furthermore, responses to COVID-relevant questions were measured using a self-composed scale. Our objectives were to compare anxiety and depression symptom levels between cohorts of children who participated in the study before and during the pandemic, to examine if anxiety or depression predicted the COVID response, and whether anxiety and depression and subtypes of anxiety had an impact on quality of life during the pandemic. Linear regression and interaction models were used to examine relevant associations.ResultsLevels of anxiety and depression were higher in all waves compared to pre-pandemic levels. Quality of life was lower during the pandemic than before the pandemic, particularly among children with generalized anxiety symptoms. Quality of life was negatively associated with loneliness.DiscussionOur study revealed that children reported higher anxious and depressive symptoms during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, as well as reduced quality of life. Lockdowns and restrictions may have contributed to this burden. Additionally, self-reported loneliness was a significant possible consequence of the restrictive measures imposed on children during the pandemic. Additional research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on children, particularly regarding the stability of elevated levels of anxiety and depression. Such studies could examine whether these conditions are indicative of a trajectory toward more severe internalizing disorders.Clinical trial registration: NCT04263558.

Project description:BackgroundThe outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019 has caused unprecedented disruption to the structure of children's daily lives due to school closures, online learning, strict social distancing measures, limited access to outdoor activities and many other restrictions. Since children are more susceptible to stress than adults and there is a growing concern about the potential debilitating consequences of COVID-19 for children's mental health, the present review aims to provide empirical evidence on the groups who are most at risk of mental health problems and uncover the risk and protective factors of children's mental health.MethodsA systematic search was performed, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, in the electronic databases Web of Science (including SSCI and A&HI) and EBSCOhost (including ERIC, MEDLINE and APA PsycArticles and APA PsycINFO), for any empirical studies published between January 2020 and February 2022 that focused on children ≤ 12 years old.ResultsAn initial search identified 2,133 studies. A total of 30 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The evidence showed that many children were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Worsened child mental health outcomes reflected socioeconomic inequalities as most at-risk children had parents with low educational attainment, were from families of low socioeconomic status and lived in small homes. Key risk factors were identified, including unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (extended screen time, sleep disturbances and less physical activity), increased pandemic-related stressors among parents and deteriorated mental health of parents, which were directly or indirectly associated with the pandemic safety measures, such as home confinement or social distancing. Protective factors including parents' resilience, positive parent-child relationship and school connectedness in relation to children's mental health were reported.ConclusionThe overall results highlight the urgent need for the implementation of tailor-made interventions for children with signs of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Health promotion and prevention strategies by the government to maintain the mental health of children, particularly those from lower SES families who are at higher risk of worsened mental health are essential for post-pandemic policies.

Dataset Information

Reciprocal effects between young children's negative emotions and mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

Implications

Publications

Reciprocal effects between young children's negative emotions and mothers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar Datasets

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