Distance education and parents’ mental health: the role of resilience, parent-child communication and relationships

Abstract

According to a UNESCO survey, 173 countries had closed schools and other educational facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As online distance learning became a new normal in disruptive times, researchers began to examine its psychological impact on parents and children. Drawing on Buzzanell’s (2010, 2018) communication theory of resilience, this study examined the relationships between Chinese parents’ resilience, their attitudes toward distance learning, parent-child communication and relationship, and psychological wellbeing. Participants were 101 Chinese parents who had children that did distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings showed that parents’ resilience and attitudes toward distance learning had a positive, indirect effect on their psychological wellbeing through the mediation of parent-child communication and relationships. The study provides empirical support for the CTR theory as a fruitful lens for explaining family communication patterns and relationships, as well as psychological wellbeing during disruptive times. The study yielded important practical insights into how individuals can cope with the negative impact brought forth by unexpected and destructive events.