Thematic Analysis of Parent-Child Conversations About COVID-19: "Playing It Safe"

The Long-COVID Well-Being Scale (LCOVID-WBS): Development of a nascent measure of long-COVID symptoms and impacts

As is now well-known, COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease, which for some can cause symptoms that last long after initial infection. In 2021, a clinical set of symptoms referred to as long-COVID was identified. For many patients, long-COVID is a confusing and frightening multisystem disease, with the potential for myriad negative psychosocial effects, including significant impacts on employment and mental health, and requiring ongoing care. Research and treatment of long-COVID will be facilitated by a sound measure that addresses aspects of well-being, symptom experiences, and psychosocial impacts among long-COVID patients. The present work addresses this need by presenting the results of the development and preliminary psychometrics for the Long-COVID Well-Being Scale (LCOVID-WBS). In an exploratory factor analysis with a panel of 236 participants, researchers identified four factors: Emotional Strain, Physical Ability Strain, Control of Life, and Overall Evaluation of Health. The nascent measure represents the first step to measuring the impacts of long-COVID.

Avoidant Parent-Child Communication About COVID-19: A Longitudinal Investigation of Associations with Youth Adjustment Across the First 6 Months of the Pandemic

In the aftermath of discrete disasters, how families discuss the event has been linked with child well-being. There is less understanding, however, of how family communication affects adjustment to a protracted and ongoing public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research leveraged a large longitudinal sample of families (N = 1884) across the United States and Canada to investigate factors that predicted family communication styles (active versus avoidant communication) about the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the longitudinal sequelae of mental health outcomes for youth associated with different family communication styles. Parents of youth between 5 to 17 years old completed surveys about their own mental health, their child's mental health, and family communication about the COVID-19 pandemic at two time points 6 months apart. Overall, findings indicated that poorer parental mental health was related to greater use of avoidant communication, and avoidant communication styles were associated with poorer youth mental health over time. Findings suggest potential perils of avoidant family communication about ongoing threats and can help identify families at risk of negative mental health outcomes.

Promoting Adolescents' Social Responsibility through Parent-Adolescent Conversations about the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

This longitudinal mixed-method study examined the content and qualities of parent-adolescent conversations about the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether discourse about social responsibility (i.e., care for others and health protective behaviors [HPBs]) within conversations predicted changes in adolescents' socially responsible behavior across the first year of the pandemic.

METHODS

Participants were 122 ethnically/racially diverse parent-adolescent dyads from Southern California. In spring 2020 (Time 1), adolescents completed an online survey measuring their engagement in HPBs (e.g., social distancing) and prosociality (both pandemic-specific and global). A few months following survey completion (Time 2), parent-adolescent dyads engaged in an audio-recorded conversation about the pandemic. In winter 2020 (Time 3), adolescents' engagement in HPBs and prosociality were reassessed via an online survey.

RESULTS

Dyads spent 25% of conversational turns, on average, discussing social responsibility (4% and 21% of turns discussing care for others and HPBs, respectively). Internal state language reflecting emotion terms was positively correlated with the proportion of conversational turns spent discussing care for others and negatively associated with conversational turns spent discussing HPBs. Regression analyses revealed that both care for others and HPB conversation themes uniquely predicted increases in adolescents' engagement in HPBs over time; however, care for others was a stronger predictor (β = 0.24 vs. β = 0.16). Discussions about care for others (but not HPBs) predicted increases in pandemic-specific prosociality, but not global prosocial behavior.

DISCUSSION

Parent-adolescent conversations may be rich ground for the socialization of adolescents' social responsibility during crises and can inform best practices for engaging adolescents in current and future community health initiatives.

Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Introduction

Disinfection is one of the most effective hygienic practices that would limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) through deactivating the coronavirus on contaminated skin, supplies, and surfaces. However, the type and concentration of disinfectants should be carefully selected to avoid damaging surfaces and to limit the side effects of these chemicals on household members and users. The aim of this study is to assess the public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during the spread of COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Methods

The cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2021 among 750 residents of Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafrah, and Al-Ain regions. A google survey was distributed electronically for the online recruitment of the general population. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness and performance with regard to gender, region, education level, and diagnosis with COVID-19. Spearman correlation was used to test if any correlation existed between levels of awareness and performance. Kruskal-Wallis test was also used to check if significant differences exist in the mean score of performance with respect to irritation-to-poisoning symptoms.

Results

The study population recorded a lower mean score of awareness (5.37 out of 12) than performance (11.75 out of 16). The majority of the study population claimed a minimum of one irritation-to-poisoning symptom during the handling of household cleaners and disinfectants. Significant differences exist in the awareness and performance mean scores among various educational levels (P < 0.001). The level of awareness was statistically significant with regard to infection with SARS-CoV-2 (P < 0.05). Also, the level of performance was significantly different between males and females (P < 0.001). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the mean score of performance is statistically significant with all the studied irritation-to poisoning symptoms (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Awareness campaigns and training programs are recommended to address the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The hidden inequality: the disparities in the quality of daily use masks associated with family economic status

Wearing high-quality masks plays a critical role in reducing COVID-19 transmission. However, no study has investigated socioeconomic inequality in the quality of masks. Addressing this gap, this paper explored the relationships between mask's quality and family economic status. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in two Chinese universities by distributing structured questionnaires to assess participants' characteristics including family economic status, and meanwhile collecting their masks to evaluate the quality by measuring particle filtration efficiency. The valid responses were obtained from 912 students with mean age of 19.556 ± 1.453  years and were analyzed by using fractional or binary logistic regression. Three main findings were presented. First, inequality existed in the quality of masks. 36.07% of students were using unqualified masks with average filtration efficiency of 0.795 ± 0.119, which was much lower than China's national standard (0.9). Of those masks with identified production date, 11.43% were manufactured during COVID-19 outbreak when market was flooded with counterfeit production, and thus were of poor quality with average filtration efficiency of 0.819 ± 0.152. Second, better family economic status was associated with better masks' filtration efficiency and greater probability of using qualified masks. Third, students with better family economic status tend to use masks with individual packaging, and unique patterns and special designs, which may lead to inequality on a psychological level. Our analysis reveals the hidden socioeconomic inequality that exist behind cheap masks. In facing the challenges of future emerging infectious diseases, it is important to address the inequity to ensure equal access to affordable qualified personal protection equipment.

Pandemic play moderates the relation between caregiver stress and child emotional distress in contexts of economic adversity

It is well-established that caregiver stress is linked to increased emotional distress among children, and recent evidence highlights similar associations between caregiver and child emotional well-being during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Examining protective factors and coping mechanisms that are associated with resiliency in the face of pandemic-related stress can highlight potential strategies that may help children adapt to other unexpected hardships outside of a global pandemic. Previous research found that playing about the pandemic moderated an association between caregiver stress and children's emotional distress. However, few studies have explored "pandemic play" among children from low-income households, where pandemic-related stressors were often exacerbated. In the present study, 72 caregivers of Head Start preschoolers between 3 and 6  years of age were surveyed between late 2020 and early 2021. Results revealed that 32% of children engaged in pandemic play frequently. Caregiver stress was positively associated with child emotional distress, but only among children who did not engage in pandemic play frequently. These findings support the idea that child-directed play may be a developmentally appropriate and accessible coping mechanism to reduce the emotional burden of stressful events on children, regardless of economic context.

Children and adolescents coping with home isolation and social distancing during Covid-19 in Qatar: a cross sectional study with qualitative items

BACKGROUND

Covid-19 related studies report psychological impacts during home isolation and social distancing. Despite that, children and adolescents were able to adopt coping strategies that assisted in lowering severe levels of psychological disorders. This study aims to report on the psychosocial implications of social distancing and isolation on children of different nationalities who reside in Qatar, and to reveal their coping ways.

METHODS

This is a cross sectional study with qualitative component at its end. The study is a part of a larger study that reported the results of a national screening for psychological disorders experienced by children and adolescents in Qatar. A bilingual online questionnaire included close-ended and one open-ended question to screen for psychological changes and identify coping strategies practiced by children and adolescents (7-18 years) during home-isolation and social distancing. The quantitative questionnaire had five main sections as follows: the sociodemographic characteristics, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale, and Clinical Anger Scale). The last section screened for eight different coping strategies. The summative content analysis was used to analyze the open-ended question "What practices do you do at home that make you happy?". First, open coding was used (for identification), followed by the axial coding (for comparison), and lasted by sorting of coping strategies inductively.

RESULTS

Six thousand six hundred and eight (6608) subjects participated between June 23 and July 18, 2020. The clinical outcomes of the study had varying prevalence and levels of severity, which ranged from mild to severe. Higher prevalence was noted for adjustment disorder 66.5% (n = 4396), and generalized anxiety 60% (n = 3858), in comparison to depression 40% (n = 2588). Additionally, participants reported using cognitive, spiritual, social, and physical coping strategies. Eight higher order themes were identified to reflect the coping strategies: playing with siblings or pets, gardening, cooking, practicing arts and crafts, and doing chores. Furthermore, Sociodemographic factors such as ethnicity, religion and family status played a considerable role in choosing the type of coping strategy.

CONCLUSION

The uniqueness of the study is bringing the psychosocial implications of social distancing through the voices of children and adolescents, and coping strategies from their perspective. These results are of importance for educational and healthcare systems that are recommended to collaborate even in "normal" times to prepare these age categories for any future crises. The importance of daily lifestyle and family is highlighted as protectors, and crucial factors in emotional management.

Making sense of the pandemic: Parent-child conversations in two cultural contexts

The present study focused on parent-child conversations about COVID-19 related changes in children's lives in Estonia and Germany with an aim to understand how children's conceptual understanding of the disease and their emotional security is created and reflected in these interactions. Twenty-nine parent-child dyads from both cultural contexts provided self-recorded conversations. The conversations were analyzed for the type of explanations, emotional content, and valence. Estonian conversations were longer than those of German dyads. Explanatory talk appeared in both contexts but was general in nature. Conversations in both cultural contexts also included very few emotional references and tended to focus on both positive and negative aspects of the situation. The conversations show that parents tend to support children's coping with stressful situations by helping them conceptually understand COVID-19 and paying little attention to children's comprehension of feelings about the situation.

Disinfection behavior for COVID-19 in individuals with Down syndrome and caregivers' distress in Japan: a cross-sectional retrospective study

The COVID-19 outbreak affected the daily lives of individuals with Down syndrome, who were considered to have a higher risk of severe infection. While several studies have reported mental health issues in children and/or parents in the general population, no study has focused on people with Down syndrome and their caregivers. This study investigated the disinfection behaviors of individuals with Down syndrome and their caregivers' stress. A cross-sectional retrospective survey was conducted in October 2020. Caregivers of children and adults with Down syndrome were administered questionnaires including measures for practiced disinfection behavior in children, caregiver's child-related stress, and psychological distress. About half of the respondents' children practiced hand hygiene and mask-wearing behaviors, while physical distancing was performed less frequently. Habitual practices in physical distancing are affected by intellectual function. Logistic regression showed that caregivers' stress was associated with the irritability of individuals with the disorder (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69-42.09) and the burden of infection-prevention behaviors for people with Down syndrome (adjusted OR = 4.26, 95% CI 1.88-9.65). This study showed the characteristics of disinfection behaviors in individuals with Down syndrome and associated factors for serious caregiver stress.

The Impact of COVID-19 Experiences on Adolescent Internalizing Problems and Substance Use Among a Predominantly Latinx Sample

Given the salience of socialization factors on adolescence and their role in vulnerability to disasters and trauma, this study examined whether COVID-19-associated fears and impacted quality of life mediated associations between pandemic-focused family conversations and media exposure and subsequent youth mental health. A primarily Latinx sample of adolescents (N = 167; Mage = 16.2 years, 44.9% female) participated in a longitudinal (summer 2020-winter 2020) COVID-19 study. COVID-19 media exposure predicted engagement in relevant safety behaviors, which negatively impacted quality of life, which in turn predicted increased internalizing problems. COVID-19 family conversations predicted social distancing fears, which negatively impacted quality of life, which then in turn also predicted increased internalizing problems. Targeting key socialization factors may minimize negative consequences following major community trauma among adolescents.

Are there any changes in mothers' attitudes? Analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on child-rearing attitudes

The present study aims to examine the impact of the time spent by mothers at home with their children during the quarantine period that was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mothers' child-rearing attitudes, taking into consideration some variables and the experiences of mothers. The study was designed using embedded mixed design, in which qualitative and quantitative research methods were used together. The quantitative research group consisted of 673 mothers and the qualitative research group consisted of 16 mothers. The research data was gathered online using the Lime Survey platform, and the interviews with the mothers were also held online. Demographic information form, the Child Rearing Attitude Scale, and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. Moderator variable analysis was used for the quantitative research data and descriptive analysis was used for the qualitative research data in support of the quantitative data. The findings revealed that the mothers' child-rearing attitudes changed depending on the variables concerning the children; however, the quarantine period instituted due to COVID-19 had an impact on the mothers' child-rearing attitudes depending on the variables of age and number of children. The qualitative findings obtained from the interviews supported the quantitative findings. However, it was revealed that the mothers' attitudes towards their children underwent changes during the quarantine period under COVID-19.

The Protective Role of Parent Resilience on Mental Health and the Parent-Child Relationship During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to particularly potent psychological effects for children and their caregivers while families adjust to new daily routines for work, education, and self-care. Longitudinal associations are presented from a national sample of 271 parents (mean age = 35.29 years, 48.5% female) on resilience, mental health and stress indicators, and parenting outcomes. Multigroup path model results indicate significant associations between resilience and parent stress or parent perceived child stress initiates a sequence of significant linkages to parent depression, followed by caregiver burden and parent-child relationship quality. This final set of linkages between depression and both parenting outcomes were significantly stronger for men, who also reported higher rates of perceived child stress. Results suggest that fathers' depression symptoms and associated spill-over to perceived child stress is producing stronger effects on their parenting experiences than effects reported by mothers.

Parent-Adolescent Conversations About COVID-19 Influence Adolescents' Empathic Concern and Adherence to Health Protective Behaviors

PURPOSE

This longitudinal investigation assessed how the frequency of parent-adolescent conversations about COVID-19, moderated by adolescents' stress, influenced adolescents' empathic concern and adherence to health protective behaviors (HPBs) throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Participants were 181 adolescents (Mage = 15.23 years; 51% girls; 47% Latinx) and their parents. Frequency of parent-adolescent conversations about COVID-19 (i.e., pandemic-related symptoms, health behaviors, and social effects), empathic concern toward vulnerable others, and adolescent HPBs were assessed via surveys in the first months of the pandemic, and empathic concern and HPBs were assessed again nine months later.

RESULTS

Results revealed that more frequent parent-adolescent conversations early in the pandemic predicted increased adherence to HPBs throughout the pandemic when adolescents reported low stress (direct effect), but conversation frequency predicted decreased adherence to HPBs via reduced empathic concern when adolescents reported high stress (indirect effect).

CONCLUSIONS

Parents and other socialization agents, such as teachers, should be sensitive to adolescents' stress before engaging them in frequent conversations about the pandemic to mitigate the potential negative impact these conversations may have on adolescents' empathic concern and adherence to HPBs. Decreasing adolescents' stress may be an initial step in promoting effective message transference. Collective action (including wearing masks and receiving the vaccine) remains critical to overcoming COVID-19. The current study contributes to our understanding of the processes underlying adolescents' adherence to recommended HPBs, which is critical as pandemic fatigue and stress continue to rise.

Thematic Analysis of Parent-Child Conversations About COVID-19: "Playing It Safe"

Caregivers have primary responsibility for teaching their children self-protective behaviors, including those behaviors recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Parents have an important role in scaffolding adherence to the CDC recommendations and in managing stress and regulate their emotions to adaptively cope during uncertain times like those facing communities nationwide. The present study is a qualitative, thematic analysis of parent-reported (n = 210; 64.8% female; average age = 39.33; 14.3% ethnic/racial minority) interactions with children (focal child age: 25.2% birth to 5 years old, 36.7% 6 to 11 years old, 37.6% 12 to 18 years old) about topics associated to COVID-19-related viral transmission suppression guidelines and stress/coping behaviors. Themes included discussions about personal and social hygiene, and parent reported sources of child stress, and child stress management efforts. Findings from our thematic analysis indicate parents are motivated to make scaffolding personal hygiene fun and engaging, signaling a positive, developmentally appropriate native approach to their role as sources of coping socialization. These findings also underscore the importance of providing information to parents in ways that can be translated to children in developmentally appropriate conversations about viral transmission suppression activities and stress management during disasters.