Parenting a Child with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder during the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative

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Noemi Mazzoni1, Arianna Bentenuto1, Fabio Filosofi1

  • 1Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|January 8, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Parental stress worsened during COVID-19, impacting parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD). Disrupted therapy and externalizing behaviors increased distress, but parental efficacy offered resilience.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pandemic Mental Health

Background:

  • COVID-19 pandemic disrupted family routines, exacerbating child symptoms and parental burden.
  • Parental stress and mental health challenges were significantly linked to child symptomology.
  • Understanding these impacts is crucial for supporting families with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how changes in child externalizing behavior, parental stress, and therapy discontinuity affected parental mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To compare these effects cross-culturally between European countries and the USA.
  • To identify resilience factors mitigating psychological distress in parents of children with NDD.

Main Methods:

  • Online survey administered to parents of children with NDD in Italy, Spain, and the USA.
  • Quantitative analysis of perceived changes in child behavior, parental stress, and therapy.
  • Qualitative analysis to explore contributing factors and resilience.

Main Results:

  • Increased parental stress correlated with heightened parental psychological distress across cultures.
  • Child externalizing behaviors indirectly impacted parental distress through increased parental stress.
  • Discontinuity or lack of therapeutic activities significantly contributed to parenting burden.

Conclusions:

  • Parental stress is a key factor in psychological distress for parents of children with NDD during pandemics.
  • Therapeutic discontinuity poses a significant risk to parental well-being.
  • Parental efficacy and adaptability are crucial resilience factors against psychological problems.

Keywords:
autism spectrum disordercross-culturalexternalizing behaviorsmental healthneurodevelopmental disorderparental stressparents

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