The Impact of COVID-19 on Multi-Child Families

Salem, OR, 2022-Feb-22 — /EPR Network/ — It’s already been more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At this point, there’s no denying the existence of “pandemic stress,” a term that pertains to the stressful conditions created or further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At present, there’s been much discussion on how pandemic stress continues to affect one’s personal and interpersonal relationships, including family.

A recent study conducted by the University of Waterloo reveals what happens when COVID-19 interferes at the family level. It shows how, in families with two or more children, one sibling is more affected than the other.

There’s a link between the stress levels experienced by parents and the dynamic of the home. When parents experience stress linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be expected that this will leave an impact on other aspects of family life, (i.e., the mental health of the children).

The study discovered that when this happens in a multi-child setup, one sibling is more likely to display greater mental health problems. In these situations, parents tend to be even more stressed out and are likely to take a reactive approach to parenting.

“Parents tend to be most reactive and least positive to the child showing the highest levels of mental health difficulties,” said Dillon Browne, the lead author of the study and a clinical psychology professor at the University of Waterloo.

This fosters an environment where every family member’s stress levels and mental health challenges linked to the pandemic create a “feedback loop.”

The study also offers for consideration the idea that the mental health of the child affects the mental health of the parent. “Our study suggests that the direction of influence appears to go from the child’s mental health to parenting, not parenting to child mental health,” said Browne, who is also the Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology.

What Can Be Done

Studies such as this one reveal another layer of how the COVID-19 pandemic has entered the very fabric of the family unit and how the present circumstances brought about by this crisis have somehow influenced the mental health of children and parents.

Because of this, there is a need for a “family system lens” in order to understand the mental health difficulties faced by children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Comprehensive interventions for children’s mental health require an examination of caregiver, sibling, and whole-family dynamics,” Browne said.

Individual psychotherapy for children and adults and family therapy are two approaches that the study suggests “might be helpful for households who are struggling with adjustments in response to the pandemic.” As for family therapy, Browne says that future research is required to take a closer look at the effectiveness of such services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you’re a parent who’s also thinking about these things and if your current family setup is one where you and your spouse are divorced and are looking into the best options to ensure the best interests and wellbeing of your children, schedule a free consultation with a family law lawyer today.

 

Source:

www.regelelaw.com

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Phone: 503-744-6025

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