Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Influence of Parenting Distress and Parenting Self-Efficacy on Children's Emotional Well-Being.

Mara Morelli,Carmen Trumello,Carla Candelori,Elena Cattelino,Alessandra Babore,Antonio Chirumbolo,Roberto Baiocco

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584645

Abstract

On March 10, 2020, Italy went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The World Health Organization highlighted how the lockdown had negative consequences on psychological well-being, especially for children. The present study aimed to investigate parental correlates of children’s emotion regulation during the COVID-19 lockdown. Within the Social Cognitive Theory framework, a path model in which parenting self-efficacy and parental regulatory emotional self-efficacy mediated the relationship between parents’ psychological distress and both children’s emotional regulation, and children’s lability/negativity, was investigated. A total of 277 parents of children aged from 6 to 13 years completed an online survey that assessed their psychological distress, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and parenting self-efficacy. Parents reported also children’s emotional regulation and lability/negativity. A structural equation model (SEM) using MPLUS 8.3 was tested. Results showed that the hypothesized model exhibited excellent fit, chi-square (83) = 140.40, p < 0.01, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.04. The influences of parents’ psychological distress and parents’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy on children’s emotional regulation and lability/negativity were mediated by parenting self-efficacy. The mediation model was invariant across children’s biological sex and age, and geographical residence area (high risk vs. low risk for COVID-19). Results suggested how parents’ beliefs to be competent in managing parental tasks might be a protective factor for their children’s emotional well-being. Implications for intervention programs are discussed.

Highlights

The spread of the pandemic COVID-19 in Italy from February 2020 and the subsequent health emergency led to several restrictive measures
Results of the present study, showed that the COVID risk index and the family risk index partially contributed to the psychological distress of parents, their impact was modest in terms of accounted variance
Parents with higher levels of psychological distress tendentially had a lower socioeconomic status (SES), had seen their working situation worsened during the quarantine, and were single or divorced parents who had to manage their children at home alone during the quarantine

Summary

Introduction

The spread of the pandemic COVID-19 in Italy from February 2020 and the subsequent health emergency led to several restrictive measures. Schools and universities have been closed at the end of February, and starting from March 9th, 2020, a quarantine measure became necessary leading to a general closure of almost all public businesses and work activities. Children and families have been deprived of their educational, work, and sport activities, and from all their friendship and relational contacts. Parents had to manage their children at home from school 24 h a day and, at the same time, most of them had to start smart-working from home, still carrying out their children’s school commitments. Many parents had to manage difficulties and pain related to having sick or dead relatives, having had wages reductions, or in some cases, having lost their work. It is easy to understand how Italian families have been exposed to a very strong emotional and psychological stress

Methods

Results

Conclusion