Help Needs among Parents and Families in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Procedure
2.2. Measures
2.2.1. Sociodemographics
2.2.2. Help-Seeking Behaviour
2.2.3. Parental Health (Pre- and during-Pandemic)
2.2.4. Family Relationships
2.2.5. Pandemic-Related Stressors
2.2.6. Child Self-Reported Well-Being
2.3. Analytic Strategy
3. Results
3.1. Participant Characteristics and Economic Impact of COVID-19
3.2. Parent Health and Child Well-Being
3.3. Correlates of during-Pandemic Stress and Mental Health Symptoms
3.4. Help Seeking and Help Need
3.5. Comparison of Families with No Help Need, Continuous Help Need and New Help Need
3.6. Prediction of during-Pandemic Help Need in Light of Previous Help Need
4. Discussion
4.1. Comparison to Pre-Pandemic German Data on Parent Health and Child Well-Being
4.2. Findings on Correlates of during-Pandemic Stress and Mental Health Symptoms
4.3. Findings on Help Seeking and Help Need
4.4. Findings on Comparison of Different Help Need Groups
4.5. Findings on Prediction of during-Pandemic Help Need in Light of Previous Help Need
4.6. Limitations and Strengths
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sample Description | Pre-Pandemic Reference Data (German Representative Samples) | Sources | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
95% CI | ||||
Parent gender, n (%) (N = 602) | ||||
Male | 89 (14.8) | |||
Female | 513 (85.2) | |||
Diverse | 0 (0.0) | |||
Parent age, M (SD) (N = 598) | 43.3 (6.56) | |||
Self-reported child gender (%) (n = 101) | ||||
Male | 51 (50.5) | |||
Female | 49 (48.5) | |||
Diverse | 1 (1.0) | |||
Self-reported child age, M (SD) | 13.3 (2.15) | |||
# of children in household, n (%) (N = 602) | [43] | |||
1 | 195 (32.4) | 28.7–36.5 | 45.1% * | |
2 | 290 (48.2) | 43.9–52.0 | 43.0% * | |
3 or more | 117 (19.4) | 14.60–24.13 | 12.0% * | |
Parent educational level, n (%) (N = 603) | [51] | |||
Low (erster Schulabschluss) | 15 (2.5) | 1.3–2.5 | 20% * | |
Middle (mittlerer Schulabschluss) | 60 (10.0) | 7.6–12.3 | 24% * | |
High (Fachhochschulreife or higher) | 528 (87.5) | 72.9–100.0 | 44% * | |
During-pandemic stress (PSS-10) M (SD), 95% CI (N = 415) | M | [38] | ||
Mothers | 18.26 (7.11) | 17.52–19.01 | 13.07 * | |
Fathers | 16.89 (6.56) | 15.32–18.57 | 12.62 * | |
Parent self-reported risky alcohol use (AUDIT-C; score ≥ 4 for females, score ≥ 5 for males; % (95% CI)) | [43] | |||
Mothers | 43 (20.3) | 16.2–24.6 | 18.4% | |
Fathers | 22 (31.4) | 21.4–42.5 | 29.6% | |
Child health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN 10), M (SD), (n = 97) | 46.70 (9.21) | 44.90–48.51 | 49.85 | [48] |
Child psychosocial symptoms (SDQ), M (SD), (n = 91) | M | [49] | ||
Emotional problems | 2.97 (2.61) | 2.46–3.55 | 2.73 | |
Conduct problems | 1.48 (1.06) | 1.26–1.71 | 1.74 * | |
Hyperactivity/attention problems | 3.57 (1.95) | 3.18–3.96 | 3.46 | |
Peer problems | 2.38 (1.90) | 2.01–2.81 | 2.45 | |
Total problem score | 10.41 (4.91) | 9.46–11.43 | 10.37 |
1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. | 11. | 12. | 13. | 14. | 15. | 16. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Measure | ||||||||||||||||
1. During-pandemic stress (PSS-10) | 1 | 0.729 ** | 0.163 ** | 0.103 * | −0.051 | 0.023 | 0.310 ** | 0.146 ** | 0.156 ** | 0.000 | 0.143 * | −0.423 ** | 0.301 ** | 0.161 ** | 0.300 ** | 0.276 ** |
2. During-pandemic mental health (SCL-K-9) | 1 | 0.259 ** | 0.056 | −0.070 | −0.032 | 0.363 ** | 0.171 ** | 0.182 ** | 0.064 | 0.178 ** | −0.437 ** | 0.361 ** | 0.077 | 0.271 ** | 0.269 ** | |
3. Single-parent | 1 | −0.184 ** | 0.087 * | −0.031 | 0.216 ** | 0.095 * | 0.246 ** | 0.063 | 0.065 | −0.201 ** | 0.190 ** | −0.001 | −0.028 | 0.123 * | ||
4. # of children under age 6 | 1 | −0.152 ** | −0.036 | 0.059 | 0.000 | 0.019 | 0.061 | 0.010 | −0.069 | 0.059 | 0.090 * | 0.124 ** | −0.010 | |||
5. Housing (sqm/person) | 1 | −0.018 | −0.052 | −0.079 | 0.003 | 0.016 | 0.067 | 0.047 | −0.020 | 0.056 | −0.046 | 0.015 | ||||
6. % income loss | 1 | −0.033 | −0.0.006 | −0.037 | −0.070 | 0.023 | 0.045 | 0.151 ** | −0.017 | −0.029 | −0.038 | |||||
7. Pre-pandemic mental health problem | 1 | 0.182 ** | 0.114 * | 0.021 | 0.082 | −0.033 | 0.087 | −0.006 | 0.075 | 0.082 | ||||||
8. Pre-pandemic substance use problem | 1 | 0.062 | 0.049 | −0.026 | −0.136 ** | 0.041 | −0.100 * | 0.056 | 0.119 * | |||||||
9. Strained partner relationship | 1 | 0.419 ** | 0.296 ** | −0.159 ** | 0.157 ** | 0.028 | 0.174 ** | 0.054 | ||||||||
10. Strained child relationship | 1 | 0.272 ** | 0.000 | 0.060 | 0.047 | 0.130 ** | 0.007 | |||||||||
11. Strained relationship to friends | 1 | −0.084 | 0.114 * | 0.075 | 0.127 ** | 0.172 ** | ||||||||||
12. Family functioning (Family APGAR) | 1 | −0.121 * | 0.045 | −0.180 ** | −0.149 ** | |||||||||||
13. Worries about finances | 1 | 0.040 | 0.065 | 0.228 ** | ||||||||||||
14. Working from home | 1 | 0.259 ** | −0.006 | |||||||||||||
15. Household workload | 1 | 0.143 ** | ||||||||||||||
16. Health worries | 1 |
No Help Need (n = 323) | Continuous Help Need (n = 48) | New Help Need (n = 53) | ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
95% CI | 95% CI | 95% CI | p | ||||
Sociodemographics | |||||||
Single-parent families | 15.2 A,b | (11.26–19.08) | 47.9 b | (33.78–62.05) | 26.4 A | (14.55–38.28) | 0.000 |
# of children under age 6 | 0.41 | (0.34–0.49) | 0.38 | (0.23–0.55) | 0.49 | (0.31–0.67) | 0.660 |
Housing (sqm/person) | 37.28 | (35.54–39.04) | 32.87 | (29.58–36.11) | 37.96 | (32.24–45.16) | 0.225 |
Pre-pandemic mental health | |||||||
Diagnosed mental health problem (%) | 13.00 a,b | (9.34–16.67) | 56.25 b,c | (42.22–70.28) | 30.19 a,c | (17.83–42.55) | 0.000 |
Diagnosed substance use problems (%) | 0.6 a | (0.00–1.47) | 14.58 a | (4.60–24.57) | 0.00 | (0.00–0.00) | 0.000 |
During-pandemic mental health symptoms | |||||||
Parental mental health (SCL-K-9) | 5.59 a,b | (5.02–6.18) | 15.95 b,c | (13.62–18.69) | 10.33 a,c | (8.11–12.76) | 0.000 |
Stress (PSS-10) | 15.71 a,b | (14.89–16.50) | 24.29 b,c | (22.36–26.29) | 21.00 a,c | (18.82–23.27) | 0.000 |
During pandemic alcohol use (AUDIT-C) | 2.28 | (2.04–2.53) | 2.44 | (1.78–3.17) | 2.03 | (1.42–2.70) | 0.638 |
Pandemic-related stressors | |||||||
Worries about finances | 3.28 a | (3.20–3.37) | 3.50 | (3.27–3.74) | 3.65 a | (3.36–3.92) | 0.004 |
Worries about job security | 3.25 | (3.16–3.35) | 3.45 | (3.15–3.72) | 3.50 | (3.21–3.82) | 0.089 |
Working from home | 3.74 | (3.62–3.86) | 3.93 | (3.64–4.22) | 4.00 | (3.70–4.27) | 0.191 |
Household workload | 3.81 A,B | (3.70–3.91) | 4.16 B | (3.85–4.43) | 4.20 A | (3.95–4.44) | 0.004 |
Health worries | 3.88 a | (3.80–3.97) | 4.43 a,b | (4.21–4.65) | 4.02 b | (3.79–4.26) | 0.000 |
Not leaving the house at all (%) | 5.6 | (3.08–8.10) | 6.3 | (0.00–13.37) | 11.3 | (2.79–19.85) | 0.288 |
Loss in income in % | 17.04 | (5.50–33.40) | 5.42 | (2.35–8.83) | 9.81 | (5.65–14.11) | 0.782 |
Change in parent mental health (February–April) | −0.56 a | (−0.67–−0.45) | −0.73 | (−1.07–−0.38) | −1.09 a | (−1.39–−0.80) | 0.001 |
Change in parent physical health (February–April) | −0.24 a | (−0.30–−0.17) | −0.27 b | (−0.50–−0.06) | −0.83 a,b | (−1.08–−0.61) | 0.000 |
Strained partner relationship | 2.16 | (1.99–2.33) | 2.89 | (2.33-3.49) | 2.70 | (2.13–3.25) | 0.142 |
Strained child relationship | 2.02 | (1.85–2.21) | 3.36 | (2.74–4.00) | 3.00 | (2.44–3.63) | 0.036 |
Strained relationship to friends | 2.97 | (2.79–3.15) | 3.39 | (2.88–3.82) | 3.26 | (2.74–3.80) | 0.173 |
Family relationships (Family APGAR) | 13.65 a | (13.43–13.87) | 11.81 a,B | (11.02–12.62) | 12.67 B | (11.83–13.36) | 0.000 |
Model 1 | ||||||
Continuous Help Need | New Help Need | |||||
OR | 95% CI | p | OR | 95% CI | p | |
Block 1: Pandemic-related stressors | ||||||
Change in parent physical health | 1.098 | 0.651–1.851 | 0.725 | 0.420 | 0.269–0.658 | 0.000 |
Worries about finances | 1.201 | 0.774–1.864 | 0.413 | 1.391 | 0.927–2.086 | 0.111 |
Household workload | 1.337 | 0.889–2.009 | 0.163 | 1.376 | 0.930–2.034 | 0.110 |
Strained child relationship | 1.129 | 0.954–1.337 | 0.157 | 1.142 | 0.962–1.356 | 0.129 |
Health worries | 2.761 | 1.643–4.640 | 0.000 | 1.043 | 0.666–1.361 | 0.855 |
Block 2: During-pandemic stress (PSS-10) | ||||||
Block 3: Pre-pandemic mental health problem Diagnosed mental health problem | ||||||
Statistic | df | p | ||||
Omnibus χ2 | 57.739 | 10 | 0.000 | |||
Maximum Likelihood Estimation | 393.119 | |||||
Nagelkerke’s R2 | 0.184 | |||||
Model 2 | ||||||
Continuous Help Need | New Help Need | |||||
OR | 95% CI | p | OR | 95% CI | p | |
Block 1: Pandemic-related stressors | ||||||
Change in parent physical health | 1.165 | 0.675–2.010 | 0.583 | 0.546 | 0.326–0.913 | 0.021 |
Worries about finances | 0.717 | 0.433–1.188 | 0.197 | 1.293 | 0.816–2.047 | 0.274 |
Household workload | 0.993 | 0.618–1.569 | 0.977 | 1.142 | 0.738–1.768 | 0.551 |
Strained child relationship | 1.247 | 1.013–1.535 | 0.037 | 1.171 | 0.970–1.414 | 0.100 |
Health worries | 2.069 | 1.173–3.649 | 0.012 | 0.911 | 0.560–1.483 | 0.708 |
Block 2: During-pandemic stress (PSS-10) | 1.229 | 1.144–1.320 | 0.000 | 1.092 | 1.027–1.160 | 0.005 |
Block 3: Pre-pandemic mental health problem Diagnosed mental health problem | ||||||
Statistic | df | p | ||||
Omnibus χ2 | 94.811 | 12 | 0.000 | |||
Maximum Likelihood Estimation | 385.834 | |||||
Nagelkerke’s R2 | 0.324 | |||||
Model 3 | ||||||
Continuous Help Need | New Help Need | |||||
OR | 95% CI | p | OR | 95% CI | p | |
Block 1: Pandemic-related stressors | ||||||
Change in parent physical health | 1.080 | 0.619–1.885 | 0.787 | 0.508 | 0.301–0.859 | 0.011 |
Worries about finances | 0.642 | 0.378–1.090 | 0.101 | 1.235 | 0.780–1.957 | 0.367 |
Household workload | 1.020 | 0.629–1.656 | 0.936 | 1.179 | 0.761–1.826 | 0.461 |
Strained child relationship | 1.228 | 0.991–1.522 | 0.061 | 1.165 | 0.965–1.407 | 0.111 |
Health worries | 2.055 | 1.154–3.659 | 0.014 | 0.915 | 0.563–1.486 | 0.719 |
Block 2: During-pandemic stress (PSS-10) | 1.188 | 1.102–1.280 | 0.000 | 1.070 | 1.004–1.141 | 0.037 |
Block 3: Pre-pandemic mental health problem Diagnosed mental health problem | 4.796 | 2.052–11.209 | 0.000 | 2.912 | 1.239–6.845 | 0.014 |
Statistic | df | p | ||||
Omnibus χ2 | 110.133 | 14 | 0.000 | |||
Maximum Likelihood Estimation | 370.513 | |||||
Nagelkerke’s R2 | 0.368 |
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Baldus, C.; Franz, S.; Thomasius, R. Help Needs among Parents and Families in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 14159. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114159
Baldus C, Franz S, Thomasius R. Help Needs among Parents and Families in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(21):14159. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114159
Chicago/Turabian StyleBaldus, Christiane, Simone Franz, and Rainer Thomasius. 2022. "Help Needs among Parents and Families in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 21: 14159. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114159