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Higher Levels of Harsh Parenting During the COVID-19 Lockdown in the Netherlands

Novika Purnama Sari1,2, Marinus H van IJzendoorn1, Pauline Jansen1,3

  • 1Department Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Child Maltreatment
|June 17, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown led to increased harsh parenting, including shaking and name-calling, among parents of toddlers. This suggests a heightened risk for child maltreatment during such crises.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Pandemic-related distress is linked to increased child maltreatment risks.
  • Data on the scope of pandemic-related child maltreatment remain scarce.
  • The COVID-19 lockdown presented unique adverse circumstances for families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess if parents used harsher discipline during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands.
  • To compare harsh parenting levels during lockdown with a pre-pandemic matched sample.
  • To identify specific harsh parenting behaviors that increased during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • Propensity score matching was used to create comparable pre-pandemic and lockdown parent samples.
  • The study involved parents of toddlers (n=206) during the lockdown and a matched sample (n=1,030) from before the pandemic.
  • Data were collected on the frequency of harsh parenting behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Harsh parenting levels were significantly elevated during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Low-prevalence harsh parenting behaviors, such as shaking, name-calling, and calling children stupid, showed the most substantial increase.
  • Parental tolerance for child disobedience appeared lower under pandemic-related stress.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 lockdown appears to increase the risk for child maltreatment.
  • Adverse circumstances during a lockdown may impair parents' ability to inhibit abusive responses.
  • There is a critical need for effective support strategies for at-risk families during public health crises.

Keywords:
child maltreatmentemotional maltreatmentparentingphysical abusepropensity score matching

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