Abstract
Objectives: Our aim is to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on families who have been followed longitudinally in two cohorts studied in Alberta, Canada. We will examine household infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial impact, domestic violence, substance use, child school and daily life and relationships in the home. We will identify risk and protective factors for maternal mental health outcomes using longitudinal data that can inform policy and government resource allocation in future disasters.Methods: Mothers who are currently participating in two longitudinal studies, Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON; N = 1,800) and All Our Families (AOF: N = 2,534) were eligible to participate. Mothers were invited to complete the baseline COVID-19 Impact Survey (20–30 min) within 4 months of March 15, 2020, which was when the province of Alberta, Canada, implemented school closures and physical-distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Mothers were asked to report on their own, their child's and their family's functioning. Mothers were re-surveyed at 6 months after completion of the initial COVID-19 Impact Survey, and will be re-surveyed again at 12 months.Results: Responses from participants in both cohorts will be examined in harmonized analyses as well as separately. Descriptive, multivariable analysis will be undertaken to examine risk and resiliency over time and factors that predict mental health and well-being.Conclusions: This study will provide timely information on the impact of COVID-19 for Albertan families. It will identify risk and protective factors for mental health and well-being among contemporary urban families supported by a publicly funded health care system to inform allocation of resources to support those most vulnerable during a global pandemic.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed families under significant stress due to disrupted economic instability, changes to family routine and fear of infection
Some families may not be as deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the following protective factors: activity of daily living, eligibility for provincial/national assistance, childcare, resiliency and coping and maternal relationship satisfaction
A cross-sectional study conducted among families (N = 361) living in Ontario, Canada found that during the COVID-19 pandemic children engaged in increased screen time and decreased physical activity, families adopted unhealthy behaviors such as eating more and parents reported moderately high levels of stress from financial instability and balancing work and childcare/homeschool [14]
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed families under significant stress due to disrupted economic instability, changes to family routine and fear of infection. A cross-sectional study conducted among families (N = 361) living in Ontario, Canada found that during the COVID-19 pandemic children engaged in increased screen time and decreased physical activity, families adopted unhealthy behaviors such as eating more and parents reported moderately high levels of stress from financial instability and balancing work and childcare/homeschool [14]. Parents indicated that they were concerned about their children’s increased difficult behaviors and that they found it extremely difficult to balance homeschooling, working full-time hours from home and their parenting role [14]. This study will use utilize longitudinal data from two large existing cohort studies to understand and demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being of families living in Alberta
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