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Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
[Between care and lockdown: Parenting psychologically vulnerable children during COVID-19-pandemic]
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for parents, due to the closure of childcare facilities and schools, the shift to working from home, and the loss of support services.
Aim:
To examine the extent to which COVID-related stress (CRS) and caring for psychiatrically vulnerable children (PVC) influenced parental stress and the experience of psychological basic needs during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
Method:
Parents of PVC (n = 203) and parents of non-PVC (n = 919) completed questionnaires assessing parental stress and psychological needs. Associations were examined using multiple regression analyses.
Results:
Parents of PVC experienced higher parental stress, greater need frustration and lower need satisfaction. CRS increased these experiences for all parents; while caring for PVC specifically contributed to higher parental stress. Notably, an interaction effect between PVC and CRS was found in total parental stress: CRS had less impact on parental stress in families with PVC.
Conclusion:
The findings underscore the need for (secondary) preventive support for all parents, and specific, accessible, and high-quality support for parents of PVC during pandemics. Moreover, targeted attention for parents both with or without PVC remains essential at policy and research levels.
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