Abstract
The quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic may generate high levels of maternal depression/anxiety, and maternal emotional status may affect child behavioral development. Online education during the pandemic may induce child over-use of electronic-devices. However, child electronic-device over-use (especially among children under 12 who are immature in physical and mental development) during the pandemic has not attracted sufficient attention, and the association of child over-use with maternal emotional status remains unknown. Therefore, this study aims to assess the characteristics of child electronic-device over-use and the association between maternal emotional status and child over-use among 1,300 children from nurseries (<3 years), kindergartens (3–6 years), and primary schools (6–12 years) in Shanghai and Wuhan during COVID-19. Mothers completed an online questionnaire (including the Self-Rating-Depression/Anxiety-Scales and Family-Environment-Scale). The use of electronic devices (mobile-phones, iPads, computers, and televisions) and online courses taken by the children were investigated. Associations of maternal emotional status with electronic-device-use by child age were analyzed. The proportions of children in nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools were 8.5, 44.5, and 47.0%, their percentages following online-courses were 24.5, 48.4, and 99.0%, and their rates of electronic-device over-use were 34.2, 62.2, and 93.4%, respectively. Significant associations were observed between higher maternal anxiety/depression levels and higher risks of mobile-phone/iPad over-use among preschoolers and primary-school students. Lower family intimacy and higher conflict levels were associated with higher maternal depression/anxiety levels and higher risks of electronic-device over-use. Our findings suggested that over-use of electronic-devices among children under 12 was common during COVID-19, especially among children ≥6 years, and online-teaching may exacerbate over-use. Maternal anxiety/depression levels were associated with over-use of portable internet-devices (mobile-phone/iPad), especially among preschoolers and school-aged students, and family environment may mediate the association. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of factors leading to over-use of electronic-device and developing strategies to decrease over-use during COVID-19.
Highlights
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally and affected millions of people [1, 2]
The study mothers who lived in urban areas were less likely to be depressed or anxious in comparison with those who lived in the sub-urban or rural areas (P < 0.05)
Mothers who learned less knowledge on how to keep children healthy during COVID-19 pandemic were associated with higher maternal anxiety or depression levels (P < 0.05)
Summary
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally and affected millions of people [1, 2]. To control the spread of the COVID-19, strict domestic quarantine was implemented, schools were closed with online courses developed for children to study at home instead [4, 5]. In these cases, it may cause emotional problems of mothers and the risk of child over-use of electronic products. Domestic quarantine may affect people’s emotional wellbeing and increase the risks of post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger [6, 7]. A recent study during the COVID19 pandemic demonstrated that women reported higher levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms in the domains of reexperiencing, negative alterations in mood or cognition, and hyper-arousal than men [8]. Mothers may experience high levels of depression/anxiety during the COVID19 pandemic probably because of maternal worries about the risks of their children/other family members getting COVID19, a great child-care/homeschooling burden (mothers may undertake more child health-care/homeschooling tasks than usual because children stay at home all day due to school closures), and the risk of unemployment
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