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How Personality Relates to Distress in Parents during the Covid-19 Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties and the Moderating Effect of Living with Other People

Author

Listed:
  • Cristina Mazza

    (Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti (CH), Italy)

  • Eleonora Ricci

    (Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome (RM), Italy)

  • Daniela Marchetti

    (Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti (CH), Italy)

  • Lilybeth Fontanesi

    (Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti (CH), Italy)

  • Serena Di Giandomenico

    (Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti (CH), Italy)

  • Maria Cristina Verrocchio

    (Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti (CH), Italy)

  • Paolo Roma

    (Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome (RM), Italy)

Abstract

Since the initiation of the COVID-19 lockdown, Italian parents have been forced to manage their children at home. The present study aimed at investigating the psychological distress of parents during the lockdown, identifying contributing factors. An online survey was administered to 833 participants from 3 to 15 April 2020. Mediation and moderated mediation models were run to explore the association between parent neuroticism and parent distress, mediated by child hyperactivity–inattention and child emotional symptoms, and the moderating effect of living only with child(ren) on the direct and indirect effects of parent neuroticism on parent distress. For parents living only with child(ren), high levels of psychological distress depended exclusively on their levels of neuroticism. For parents living with at least one other person in addition to child(ren), distress levels were also mediated by child behavioral and emotional difficulties. Motherhood emerged as a significant factor contributing to greater distress. Furthermore, parent psychological distress decreased in line with increased child age. The results confirm that neuroticism is an important risk factor for mental health. Preventive measures should be primarily target multicomponent families with younger children and directed towards parents who are already known to present emotional instability and to parents of children who have received local mental health assistance for behavioral and/or emotional difficulties.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Mazza & Eleonora Ricci & Daniela Marchetti & Lilybeth Fontanesi & Serena Di Giandomenico & Maria Cristina Verrocchio & Paolo Roma, 2020. "How Personality Relates to Distress in Parents during the Covid-19 Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties and the Moderating Effect of Living with Other People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:17:p:6236-:d:405110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rob Eisinga & Manfred Grotenhuis & Ben Pelzer, 2013. "The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 58(4), pages 637-642, August.
    2. Cristina Mazza & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Marco Colasanti & Stefano Ferracuti & Christian Napoli & Paolo Roma, 2020. "A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Griffith, Gareth J. & Jones, Kelvyn, 2019. "Understanding the population structure of the GHQ-12: Methodological considerations in dimensionally complex measurement outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Stéphanie Bourion-Bédès & Hélène Rousseau & Martine Batt & Pascale Tarquinio & Romain Lebreuilly & Christine Sorsana & Karine Legrand & Rabah Machane & Cyril Tarquinio & Cédric Baumann, 2022. "Mental Health Status of French School-Aged Children’s Parents during the COVID-19 Lockdown and Its Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Verena Barbieri & Christian Josef Wiedermann & Anne Kaman & Michael Erhart & Giuliano Piccoliori & Barbara Plagg & Angelika Mahlknecht & Dietmar Ausserhofer & Adolf Engl & Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, 2022. "Quality of Life and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents after the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Large Population-Based Survey in South Tyrol, Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Paolo Roma & Merylin Monaro & Laura Muzi & Marco Colasanti & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Christian Napoli & Stefano Ferracuti & Cristina Mazza, 2020. "How to Improve Compliance with Protective Health Measures during the COVID-19 Outbreak: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model and Machine Learning Algorithms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Loredana Cena & Matteo Rota & Stefano Calza & Jessica Janos & Alice Trainini & Alberto Stefana, 2021. "Psychological Distress in Healthcare Workers between the First and Second COVID-19 Waves: The Role of Personality Traits, Attachment Style, and Metacognitive Functioning as Protective and Vulnerabilit," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-13, November.
    5. Paolo Roma & Merylin Monaro & Marco Colasanti & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Alberto Di Domenico & Maria Cristina Verrocchio & Christian Napoli & Stefano Ferracuti & Cristina Mazza, 2020. "A 2-Month Follow-Up Study of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, November.

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