Abstract
Background
Parents have faced unique challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including mobility constraints, isolation measures, working from home, and the closure of schools and childcare facilities. There is presently a lack of in-depth qualitative research exploring how these changes have affected parents’ mental health and wellbeing.
Methods
Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 29 parents of young children. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
We identified five superordinate themes affecting participant mental health and wellbeing: (1) navigation of multiple responsibilities and change inside the home; (2) disruption to home life; (3) changes to usual support networks; (4) changes in personal relationships; and (5) use of coping strategies. Participants described stress and exhaustion from navigating multiple pressures and conflicting responsibilities with home, schooling, and work, without their usual support networks and in the context of disrupted routines. Family roles and relationships were sometimes tested, however, many parents identified coping strategies that protected their wellbeing including access to outdoor space, spending time away from family, and avoiding conflict and pandemic-related media coverage.
Conclusions
Employers must be cognisant of the challenges that the pandemic has placed on parents, particularly women and lone parents. Flexible working arrangements and support might therefore relieve stress and increase productivity. Coping strategies identified by parents in this study could be harnessed and encouraged by employers and policymakers to promote positive wellbeing during times of stress throughout the pandemic and beyond.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 194 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | BMC Psychology |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Dec 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This COVID-19 Social Study was funded by the Nuffield Foundation [WEL/FR-000022583], but the views expressed here are those of the authors. The study was also supported by the MARCH Mental Health Network funded by the Cross-Disciplinary Mental Health Network Plus initiative supported by UK Research and Innovation [ES/S002588/1], and by the Wellcome Trust [221400/Z/20/Z]. DF was funded by the Wellcome Trust [205407/Z/16/Z]. JD was funded by National Institute for Health Research School for Public Health Research (NIHR SPHR) [NU-004252]. The funders had no role in study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Mental health
- Parents
- Qualitative research
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