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Family Factors Associated with Hands-On Play and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shaelyn Stienwandt1, Emily E Cameron1, Melanie Soderstrom1
1Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2 Canada.
Insights
Parental anxiety and stress influenced child activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting parents and researching screen time guidelines are key for positive parent-child interactions and development.
Area of Science:
- Child development
- Developmental psychology
- Family studies
Background:
- Parent-child interactions are fundamental for child development.
- The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant mental health challenges and parenting difficulties, impacting family functioning.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for supporting families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parent factors associated with varied child activity levels during the pandemic.
- To apply Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems framework to analyze influences on parent-child activities.
- To differentiate impacts based on childcare needs.
Main Methods:
- Online questionnaire completed by 708 parents (primarily mothers) with children aged 2-8 years.
- Data collected between April and June 2020 from a predominantly Canadian, White sample with high income.
- Parent-child activities measured by weekly time in hands-on play and screen time; analyzed using regression models.
Main Results:
- Parental anxiety correlated with increased hands-on play and screen time for families needing childcare.
- Parenting stress was linked to decreased hands-on play and increased supervised screen time for families without childcare needs.
- Family structure and socioeconomic status predicted activity levels, varying by childcare needs and child age.
Conclusions:
- Supporting parental wellbeing and addressing childcare needs are vital for fostering quality parent-child interactions.
- Further research is needed on evidence-based screen time guidelines for children in pandemic contexts.
- Interventions should consider diverse family structures and socioeconomic factors to promote positive child development.
Background:
Parent-child interactions are crucial for child development. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected mental health and increased parenting challenges impacting parent-child functioning.
Objective:
This study examined parent factors related to more and less enriching child activities during the pandemic through Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems framework.
Methods:
A convenience sample of parents (N = 708), primarily mothers (n = 610; 87.4%) aged 35.59 years old (SD = 5.59; range = 21-72), with children ages 2-8 years completed an online questionnaire between April 14-June 1, 2020. Participants mostly resided in Canada, had an income of > $100,000, and identified as White (82.4%). Parent-child activities were measured as total weekly time and combined time across activities within two categories: hands-on play and screen time. Bivariate correlations informed blockwise linear regression models.
Results:
For families with childcare needs, parental anxiety was associated with higher total hands-on play, combined hands-on play, and combined screen time. Families without childcare needs indicated parenting stress was associated with lower total hands-on play and combined hands-on play, and higher supervised screen time. Family structure and indices of socioeconomic status were also predictive of activities across childcare needs and child ages.
Conclusions:
To promote high-quality parent-child interactions and positive developmental outcomes during the pandemic, childcare needs and parent wellbeing should be supported, while evidence-based guidelines for child screen time should be further researched in this context.
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