Changes in Parenting Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Child Behavior and Mindful Parenting as Moderators

Headnote

ABSTRACT

Measures implemented globally to minimize spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in significant changes for families. Since children's developmental processes occur within an environmental context, examining how parenting practices and child behavior may have changed during COVID-19 is important to supporting children and families. The purpose of the current study was to examine levels of parenting behaviors for parents of kindergarten children prior to and following the onset of the global pandemic. In a sample of parents (n = 100; 89% female) we examined how child symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depressive, and oppositional symptoms), and mindful parenting related to changes in parenting behaviors. The results demonstrated that changes in parents' levels of setting limits and supporting good behavior with their children from fall to spring depended on levels of children's oppositional symptoms, children's anxiety symptoms, and mindful parenting. Implications of these findings are discussed.

IMPACT STATEMENT

The international coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is causing unprecedented changes in the lives of many children and families. The current study contributes to the literature by examining moderators of changes in parenting practices for parents of kindergarten children prior to and following the onset of the global pandemic. Results highlight ways to support children and families and directions for future research.

KEYWORDS

parenting, COVID-19, mindful parenting, child symptoms

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) characterized the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic during March of 2020, and subsequent containment measures impacted daily life for families. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2020), most governments issued temporary closures of educational institutions, and it is estimated that over 90% of the world's student population was impacted by mid-April (Donohue & Miller, 2020). In Canada, where data from the current study were collected, a countrywide school closure was enacted beginning on March 23, 2020, which affected over 2 million children in primary grades (UNESCO, 2020). Shortly after, many Canadians (36%) reported feeling "very" or "extremely concerned" about their health and over half of Canadians were anxious about the health of someone in their household or about vulnerable populations. Furthermore, one third of individuals reported anxiety related to family stress resulting from home confinement (Statistics Canada, 2020).

The worldwide changes, and especially...