Being a Parent of Children with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multi-Method Study of Health, Social Life, and Occupational Situation

Noémie Fortin-Bédard, Naomie-Jade Ladry, François Routhier, Josiane Lettre, David Bouchard, Béatrice Ouellet, Marie Grandisson, Krista L. Best, Ève-Line Bussières, Marie Baron, Annie LeBlanc and Marie-Eve Lamontagne ()
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Noémie Fortin-Bédard: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Naomie-Jade Ladry: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
François Routhier: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Josiane Lettre: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
David Bouchard: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Béatrice Ouellet: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Marie Grandisson: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Krista L. Best: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Ève-Line Bussières: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
Marie Baron: VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1J 2G1, Canada
Annie LeBlanc: VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1J 2G1, Canada
Marie-Eve Lamontagne: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, QC G1C 3S2, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Parents of children with disabilities face challenges in their daily lives, but little is known about their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the study was to explore the experiences of parents of children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Canada. Forty parents of children with disabilities from Quebec, Canada (mean [SD] age: 41.2 [6.7]; 93% women) were selected from the Ma Vie et la pandémie (MAVIPAN) study. All 40 parents completed the MAVIPAN online questionnaires including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing short 7-item scale (WEMWBS), Social Provisions Scale-10 item (SPS-10), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS). A multi-method analysis was used to summarize questionnaires and thematically explore parents’ experiences. Parents reported deterioration in their mental (50.0%) and physical (27.5%) health, with moderate levels of depression, stress, and anxiety, yet moderately positive well-being. Additional experiences included reduction in available supports (71.4%) and feelings of social isolation (51.4%). Our results highlighted reduced mental and physical health, limited and modified access to certain services, and reduction of social supports for some parents of children with disabilities. Health professionals, policymakers, and governments should be mindful of these challenges experienced by parents of children with disabilities.

Keywords: COVID-19; people with disabilities; rehabilitation; qualitative (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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