Difficulties Imposed on the Parent-Child Relationship Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

J Fam Issues. 2023 Aug;44(8):1971-1983. doi: 10.1177/0192513X211067527. Epub 2021 Dec 31.

Abstract

The present study tested whether emotionally burdened parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic might appraise their relationship with their children more negatively. The current cross-sectional study was circulated through social media. A total of 265 respondents took part in the study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between predictor variables and the parent-child relationship. This study's results report that older fathers with higher levels of COVID-19 related fear are more likely to appraise negatively their relationship with their children. Therefore, this study suggests the need for family-level strategies to address better the psychological aspects related to the pandemic outbreak.

Keywords: caregiver burden; fear of COVID-19; pandemic; parent–child relationship.