Stress of parents in Corona crisis stressed families

Families’ well-being has steadily declined over the course of the corona pandemic. An important factor in the stressful consequences was parental stress, according to a study presented Monday by the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. According to the university, this is the first study into the short- and long-term consequences of the lockdowns in Germany.

Study author Samuel Essler explained: “The lockdowns have of course been tough, but our research also shows that family well-being has declined over the entire period of the corona pandemic.” The results confirmed how important it is for children to interact with peers.

The well-being of the children in the first lockdown declined due to the isolation of their friends. At the same time, some families managed to take advantage of the fact that there was suddenly more time for each other during the first lockdown.

quality of the parent-child relationship

However, this effect did not last. On the contrary, the well-being of families continued to decline until the end of the last lockdown in March 2021. An important risk factor for the children’s emotional situation was the increasing parental stress. The more stress the parents had, the worse it was for the children. This was especially noticeable when the second lockdown started.

Only a good parent-child relationship protected the children from the negative consequences of the pandemic. According to the information provided, the researchers examined emotional difficulties, behavioral problems and hyperactivity in children, the well-being of the family as a whole, parental stress and the quality of the relationship between parents and children. (saw/sda/afp)