From parental issues of job and finance to child well-being and maltreatment: A systematic review of the pandemic-related spillover effect

Abstract

BackgroundCovid-19 pandemic jeopardized family well-being at the population level internationally. Pandemic-related job/financial difficulties in parents have a spillover effect on their child's well-being and issues of child maltreatment. Objective: The current review sought to systematically summarize and analyze this pandemic-related spillover effect. Participants and settingsIn the home setting, participants involved 11,100 adolescents, 9144 parents/caregivers, and another 7927 parent-children dyads. Methods: An extensive literature search in 13 electronic databases was conducted. A total 21 eligible papers published from 2020 to 2022 were included for further thematic analysis. ResultsA significant positive relationship between the pandemic-related spillover effect from parental job or financial issues to child maltreatment and child's mental/behavioral issues was established. The internal mechanisms demonstrated that this relationship was intermediated or moderated by the interactions of parental mental health issues, parenting practice, and family relationships. Families with particular factors may be more vulnerable and sensitive to the spillover effect during the pandemic. The work-from-home arrangement was found as positively related to enhanced parenting warmth and parent-child relationship in some cases who had relatively high familial social-economic status. ConclusionsFindings of current review provided the evidences from empirical data. During the Covid-19 pandemic, spillover effect from parental job/financial issues significantly influenced the child well-being and family functioning. Future efforts for intervention/service design should be made to enhance familial protective factors and support those families with vulnerable factors.