Being a Parent during COVID-19: Risk for Psychological Distress in the United States and Italy

Jocelyn Lai, Phoebe T. Pham, Jordan Bate, Tracy A. Prout, Alessandro Carollo, Peipei Setoh, Gianluca Esposito and Jessica L. Borelli
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Jocelyn Lai: Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Phoebe T. Pham: Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Jordan Bate: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY 10461, USA
Tracy A. Prout: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY 10461, USA
Alessandro Carollo: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
Peipei Setoh: School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Gianluca Esposito: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
Jessica L. Borelli: Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on people worldwide, yet the psychological impact of collective traumas may differ at the individual and societal level. Parents may be exposed to greater pandemic-related stressors, yet also are more likely than non-parents to have social interactions during social distancing mandates. Furthermore, varying degrees of pandemic severity in countries may alter the adverse outcomes of pandemic stressors on psychopathology across nations. The purpose of this investigation was to cross-nationally explore how COVID-19 stress exposure relates to psychological distress and whether the association differed by parental status and nationality. Individuals from the United States ( n = 2449) and Italy ( n = 579) completed assessments measuring traumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and COVID-19-related stressors. COVID-19-related stressors were positively associated with traumatic stress and depressive symptoms. The association between COVID-19-related stressors and psychological distress did not differ by parental status or nationality. We also found that being a young adult, having a lower educational status, not being a parent, and being Italian were related to exposure to COVID-19-related stressors. We discuss these findings and their implications for our understanding of unique contexts that may pose as risk or resiliency factors during a global collective trauma, particularly on parental psychological distress as a way of promoting whole-family wellness.

Keywords: parenting; COVID-19; psychological distress; cross-national (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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