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Parental concern for clinically vulnerable child during first 18 months of the COVID pandemic
Corine Driessens1, Lynne Mills2, David Culliford1
1NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Insights
Parental concern during the COVID-19 pandemic varied, with some parents showing ongoing high anxiety. Factors like child
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant uncertainties, leading to increased parental concern.
- Understanding parental adaptation and factors influencing concern levels is crucial for mental health support.
- This study focuses on parents of immunosuppressed children, a particularly vulnerable group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore COVID-19 concern trajectories in parents of immunosuppressed children.
- To identify individual and household characteristics associated with varying levels of parental concern.
- To understand how parents adapted to pandemic-related challenges over time.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 765 UK parents of immunosuppressed children over 18 months.
- Growth mixture modelling used to analyze COVID-19 concern trajectories.
- Qualitative analysis explored the specific sources of parental concern.
Main Results:
- Four distinct trajectories of parental COVID-19 concern were identified.
- High, ongoing concern was linked to specific child health conditions (nephrotic, respiratory, transplant waiting list), Northern England residency, and parental unemployment.
- Parental concerns often mirrored national trends but included unique worries related to child's health, delayed healthcare, and conflicting information.
Conclusions:
- Parental concern trajectories were associated with child's diagnosis, medication, geographical location, household composition, and parental employment status.
- Many parents caring for vulnerable children exhibited high concern without significant psychological adaptation.
- Findings can guide targeted psychological support for families at higher risk of distress.
Background:
The uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have been associated with increased parental concern. The aim of this study is to explore if this increased level of concern is associated with certain individual/household characteristics or if parents adapted to the ever-changing realities of the COVID-19 pandemic over time.
Methods:
This prospective study explored COVID-19 concern trajectories and associated family characteristics of 765 UK parents caring for an immunosuppressed child during the first 18 months of the pandemic using growth mixture modelling. Qualitative analysis was performed to examine in more detail the source of concern.
Results:
Four different trajectories of parental COVID-19 concern were identified. Ongoing very high concern was associated with caring for children with nephrotic or respiratory disease; having a child on an organ transplant waiting list; residency in the North of England; or parental vocational inactivity. Explicit concerns voiced by the parents generally followed national trends, but vulnerable status specific concerns were also reported.
Conclusion:
Diagnosis and prescribed medication of the immunosuppressed child, geographical location, household composition, and employment status of parent were associated with the different concern trajectories. This information can be helpful in targeting psychological family care where it is most needed.
Impact:
Many British parents caring for a clinically vulnerable child during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic showed high levels of concern with little sign of psychological adaptation. Consistent with findings from non-vulnerable populations, parents mentioned the impact of shielding and repeated isolation on their child's education, social life, and mental health. Unique to the clinically vulnerable population, parents were worried about child's health status, impact of delayed healthcare, and were confused by the contradictory information received from government, doctors, and media. Psychological family care can be targeted to those parents at greater risk for high levels of concern.
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