Vulnerability pathways to mental health outcomes in children and parents during COVID-19

Rizeq, J. et al. (2023) Vulnerability pathways to mental health outcomes in children and parents during COVID-19. Current Psychology, 42(20), pp. 17348-17358. (doi: 10.1007/s12144-021-02459-z) (PMID:34815638) (PMCID:PMC8603653)

Abstract

We examined pathways from pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability to mental health difficulties and stress in families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from two time points from a multi-cohort study initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic were used. Parents of children 6–18 years completed questionnaires on pre-COVID-19 socioeconomic and demographic factors in addition to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning. Youth 10 years and older also completed their own measures of mental health and stress. Using structural equation modelling, pathways from pre-existing vulnerability to material deprivation and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions, mental health, and family functioning, including reciprocal pathways, were estimated. Pre-existing psychosocial and economic vulnerability predicted higher material deprivation due to COVID-19 restrictions which in turn was associated with parent and child stress due to restrictions and mental health difficulties. The reciprocal effects between increased child and parent stress and greater mental health difficulties at Time 1 and 2 were significant. Reciprocal effects between parent and child mental health were also significant. Finally, family functioning at Time 2 was negatively impacted by child and parent mental health and stress due to COVID-19 restrictions at Time 1. Psychosocial and economic vulnerability is a risk factor for material deprivation during COVID-19, increasing the risk of mental health difficulties and stress, and their reciprocal effects over time within families. Implications for prevention policy and parent and child mental health services are discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Ontario Ministry of Health; Centre for Brain and Mental Health, SickKids; Leong Centre for Healthy Children, SickKids; Miner’s Lamp Innovation Fund in Prevention and Early Detection of Severe Mental Illness at the University of Toronto. Additional support for the POND cohort comes from the Ontario Brain Institute.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Rizeq, Dr Jala
• Authors: Rizeq, J., Korczak, D. J., Cost, K. T., Anagnostou, E., Charach, A., Monga, S., Birken, C. S., Kelley, E., Nicolson, R., Burton, C. L., and Crosbie, J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: Current Psychology
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1046-1310
• ISSN (Online): 1936-4733
• Published Online: 19 November 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Current Psychology 42(20):17348-17358
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license