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A predictable home environment may protect child mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Laura M Glynn1, Elysia Poggi Davis2,3, Joan L Luby4

  • 1Department of Psychology, Chapman University, USA.

Neurobiology of Stress
|February 3, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted preschool children's mental health. Maintaining family routines significantly protected children's emotional well-being, offering a public health strategy for pandemic resilience.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on mental health across age groups.
  • Research on the pandemic's impact on preschool children's mental health and protective environmental factors is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mental health of preschool children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To identify environmental factors that may protect preschool children from pandemic-related stress.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed depressive and externalizing symptoms in 169 preschoolers using validated checklists.
  • Collected data on household income, food insecurity, parental employment status, and family routines.

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers exhibited elevated depressive and externalizing symptoms compared to pre-pandemic norms.
  • Adherence to family routines was a strong predictor of better child mental health.
  • The protective effect of family routines remained significant even after accounting for socioeconomic factors and maternal mental health.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant risks to preschool children's mental health.
  • Establishing and maintaining structured family routines can mitigate adverse pandemic effects on young children.
  • Family routines offer an evidence-based approach for public health interventions to support child mental health during crises.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child psychopathologyConduct disordersDepressionEarly life adversityFamily routinesPandemicResilienceStressTrauma

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