DURHAM, N.C., Families who faced more hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of both caregiver and child stress and lower child life satisfaction, according to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study.
However, being more socially connected and engaged with family promoted life satisfaction for children of all ages.
The study included more than 1,600 families from 30 U.S. states. For younger children, family engagement decreased the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic-related stress on life satisfaction. For adolescents, pre-existing anxiety and/or depression increased their risk for lower life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Courtney K. Blackwell, Ph.D. of Northwestern University, an investigator in the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, led this collaborative research effort. The article, titled “Youth well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic,” is published in Pediatrics.
The researchers used survey data from 14 ECHO cohorts across the U.S. to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related family hardships on caregiver and child stress, and understand how stress, social connection, family engagement, and pre-existing mental health conditions affect children’s life satisfaction.
“The findings demonstrate ways families can cope with adverse events and promote their children’s well-being through family engagement and fostering peer social connectedness,” Blackwell said. “They also show that stress and well-being are not direct opposites, suggesting the need for future interventions that target both decreasing children’s stress and improving their well-being.”
About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the NIH. Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. The program consists of two major components, including 69 existing and ongoing observational study cohorts and a pediatric clinical trials network. For more information, visit echochildren.org.
About the NIH: NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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