Parenting a Child with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder during the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative and Qualitative Cross-Cultural Findings

Noemi Mazzoni (), Arianna Bentenuto, Fabio Filosofi, Angela Tardivo, Lane Strathearn, Kasra Zarei, Simona De Falco, Paola Venuti, Giuseppe Iandolo and Michele Giannotti
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Noemi Mazzoni: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Arianna Bentenuto: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Fabio Filosofi: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Angela Tardivo: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Lane Strathearn: Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Kasra Zarei: Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Simona De Falco: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Paola Venuti: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy
Giuseppe Iandolo: Observation and Functional Diagnosis Division, PSISE Clinical and Developmental Psychological Service, Calle Albendiego 7, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Michele Giannotti: Laboratory of Observation, Diagnosis and Educational (ODFLAB), Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Trento, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Research during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown a strong relationship between child symptoms, parental stress, and mental health challenges. The pandemic has changed family routines, worsening child symptomatology and parental burden. The aim of this study was to investigate how the magnitude of the perceived changes in child externalizing behavior, parental stress, and discontinuity of therapy—from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic—affected parental mental health during the pandemic. Moreover, we sought to compare these aspects cross-culturally between European countries and the USA. To these purposes, we asked Italian, Spanish, and U.S. parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) to complete an online survey. Quantitative results showed that increased parental stress may have contributed to a worsening in parental psychological distress, regardless of culture. Moreover, they suggested an indirect effect of child externalizing behaviors on parents’ psychological distress via parental stress. Qualitative analyses highlighted that the lack, or discontinuity, of therapeutic activities may have been one of the key contributors to parenting burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, qualitative results highlighted resilience factors that could have decreased the risk of psychological problems during the pandemic, such as a strong sense of parental efficacy and the ability to adapt to changing family dynamics.

Keywords: mental health; parents; neurodevelopmental disorder; autism spectrum disorder; parental stress; externalizing behaviors; cross-cultural (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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