Abstract
As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, scientists have identified children and families as possibly particularily vulnerable populations. The present study employed a developmental framework with two measurement points (the first at the peak of the lockdown restrictions (N = 2,921), the second after restrictions had been majorly loosened (N = 890)) to provide unique insights into the relations between parental strain, child well-being, and child problem behavior. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed longitudinal effects of child well-being and problem behavior at T1 on parental strain at T2 with parent–child relationship quality as a moderator. True intraindividual change models showed that decreases in parental strain between measurement points predicted increases in child well-being and decreases in child problem behavior. Thus, the present research points to parental stress coping and child emotional adjustment as promising avenues for professionals and policy makers in their efforts to ensure child and family well-being throughout the pandemic.
Highlights
The unprecedented spread of COVID-19 across the globe has had a previously unimaginable impact on human social life in virtually every country and society
Results showed that at the peak of the restrictions, parental strain was negatively related to child well-being and positively related to child problem behavior
Parental stress and child problem behaviors decreased while child well-being increased
Summary
The unprecedented spread of COVID-19 across the globe has had a previously unimaginable impact on human social life in virtually every country and society. From the dramatic changes of human social interactions on the micro-level to economic turmoil on the macro-level, there is almost no societal subsystem unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As governments across the world have taken drastic public health measures to contain the spread of the virus, different demographic groups have faced different degrees of COVID19 related challenges. Professionals, and scientists have identified children and families to be among the arguably most heavily affected groups [e.g., 1, 2]. As many parents had to reorganize their work processes and switch into home offices while public education for children. Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021) 52:995–1011 between different phases of the pandemic.
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