IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i22p12080-d681267.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Mental Health in Canada: Findings from a Multi-Round Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Kimberly C. Thomson

    (Human Early Learning Partnership, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
    Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada)

  • Emily Jenkins

    (School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada)

  • Randip Gill

    (Human Early Learning Partnership, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada)

  • Chris G. Richardson

    (Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada
    School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada)

  • Monique Gagné Petteni

    (Human Early Learning Partnership, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
    Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada)

  • Corey McAuliffe

    (School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada)

  • Anne M. Gadermann

    (Human Early Learning Partnership, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
    Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada)

Abstract

Pandemic-related disruptions, including school, child care, and workplace closures, financial stressors, and relationship challenges, present unique risks to families’ mental health. We examined the mental health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among parents with children <18 years old living at home over three study rounds in May 2020 ( n = 618), September 2020 ( n = 804), and January 2021 ( n = 602). Data were collected using a cross-sectional online survey of adults living in Canada, nationally representative by age, gender, household income, and region. Chi-square tests and logistic regression compared outcomes between parents and the rest of the sample, among parent subgroups, and over time. Parents reported worsened mental health compared with before the pandemic, as well as not coping well, increased alcohol use, increased suicidal thoughts/feelings, worsened mental health among their children, and increases in both negative and positive parent–child interactions. Mental health challenges were more frequently reported among parents with pre-existing mental health conditions, disabilities, and financial/relationship stressors. Increased alcohol use was more frequently reported among younger parents and men. Sustained mental health challenges of parents throughout nearly a year of the pandemic suggest that intervention efforts to support family mental health may not be adequately meeting families’ needs. Addressing family stressors through financial benefit programs and virtual mental health supports should be further explored.

Suggested Citation

  • Kimberly C. Thomson & Emily Jenkins & Randip Gill & Chris G. Richardson & Monique Gagné Petteni & Corey McAuliffe & Anne M. Gadermann, 2021. "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Mental Health in Canada: Findings from a Multi-Round Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:12080-:d:681267
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/12080/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/12080/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katriona O’Sullivan & Serena Clark & Amy McGrane & Nicole Rock & Lydia Burke & Neasa Boyle & Natasha Joksimovic & Kevin Marshall, 2021. "A Qualitative Study of Child and Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Izu Nwachukwu & Nnamdi Nkire & Reham Shalaby & Marianne Hrabok & Wesley Vuong & April Gusnowski & Shireen Surood & Liana Urichuk & Andrew J. Greenshaw & Vincent I.O. Agyapong, 2020. "COVID-19 Pandemic: Age-Related Differences in Measures of Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-10, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mats Nylén-Eriksen & Ann Kristin Bjørnnes & Hege Hafstad & Irene Lie & Ellen Karine Grov & Mariela Loreto Lara-Cabrera, 2022. "Validating the Five-Item World Health Organization Well-Being Index," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-12, September.
    2. Daniella Spencer-Laitt & Elizabeth H. Eustis & David H. Barlow & Todd J. Farchione, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 Related Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes: A Transdiagnostic Account," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Juliette Faucher & Nagham Khanafer & Nicolas Chauliac & Aziz Essadek & Perrine Galia & Elise Mamimoue & Marie-Laure Leroux & Marie-Pierre Pollet & Françoise Imler-Weber & Yves Gillet & Pierre Fournere, 2023. "Factors Associated with Increased or Decreased Stress Level in French Children during the First COVID-19 Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Mingna Li & Bo Zhou & Bingbin Hu, 2022. "Relationship between Income and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Daniel T. L. Shek & Janet T. Y. Leung & Lindan Tan, 2023. "Social Policies and Theories on Quality of Life under COVID-19: In Search of the Missing Links," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(3), pages 1149-1165, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tania Clarke & Ruth Platt, 2023. "Children’s Lived Experiences of Wellbeing at School in England: a Phenomenological Inquiry," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 963-996, June.
    2. van de Weijer, Margot P. & de Vries, Lianne P. & Pelt, Dirk H.M. & Ligthart, Lannie & Willemsen, Gonneke & Boomsma, Dorret I. & de Geus, Eco & Bartels, Meike, 2022. "Self-rated health when population health is challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic; a longitudinal study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    3. Lucia Jerg-Bretzke & Maximilian Kempf & Marc Nicolas Jarczok & Katja Weimer & Christian Hirning & Harald Gündel & Yesim Erim & Eva Morawa & Franziska Geiser & Nina Hiebel & Kerstin Weidner & Christian, 2021. "Psychosocial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers and Initial Areas of Action for Intervention and Prevention—The egePan/VOICE Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Stephanie Scott & Victoria J. McGowan & Shelina Visram, 2021. "‘I’m Gonna Tell You about How Mrs Rona Has Affected Me’. Exploring Young People’s Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in North East England: A Qualitative Diary-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-21, April.
    5. Sara Isernia & Francesca Sangiuliano Intra & Camilla Bussandri & Mario Clerici & Valeria Blasi & Francesca Baglio, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Habilitating Residential Communities for Unaccompanied Minors during the First Lockdown in Italy: The Educators’ Relational Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-12, June.
    6. Rachel Winter & Anna Lavis, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Mental Health in the UK: Key Insights from Social Media Using Online Ethnography," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Isidora Vujčić & Teodora Safiye & Bojana Milikić & Emina Popović & Draško Dubljanin & Eleonora Dubljanin & Jakša Dubljanin & Milanko Čabarkapa, 2021. "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic and Mental Health Status in the General Adult Population of Serbia: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    8. Vincent I. O. Agyapong & Reham Shalaby & Marianne Hrabok & Wesley Vuong & Jasmine M. Noble & April Gusnowski & Kelly Mrklas & Daniel Li & Mark Snaterse & Shireen Surood & Bo Cao & Xin-Min Li & Russell, 2021. "Mental Health Outreach via Supportive Text Messages during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Improved Mental Health and Reduced Suicidal Ideation after Six Weeks in Subscribers of Text4Hope Compared to a Control," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    9. Aneta Lew-Koralewicz, 2022. "Psychosocial Functioning and the Educational Experiences of Students with ASD during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, August.
    10. M. Siyabend Kaya & Ciara McCabe, 2022. "Effects of COVID-19 on Adolescent Mental Health and Internet Use by Ethnicity and Gender: A Mixed-Method Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-20, July.
    11. Chelsea A. Pelletier & Katie Cornish & Caroline Sanders, 2021. "Children’s Independent Mobility and Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Families," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
    12. José Garrucho Martins & Carlos Miguel Ferreira & Sandro Serpa, 2021. "Interdependencies between COVID-19, Mental Illness and Living Uneasiness," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 10, January.
    13. Rhiannon Thompson & Lucy Brown & Rakhi Biswas Evans & Rayhan Mahbub & Amelia Rees & Molly Wilson & Lindsay H. Dewa & Helen Ward & Mireille B. Toledano, 2024. "Change, Adversity, and Adaptation: Young People’s Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic Expressed through Artwork and Semi-Structured Interviews," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-26, May.
    14. Emily Widnall & Emma A. Adams & Ruth Plackett & Lizzy Winstone & Claire M. A. Haworth & Becky Mars & Judi Kidger, 2022. "Adolescent Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and School Closures and Implications for Mental Health, Peer Relationships and Learning: A Qualitative Study in South-West England," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-14, June.
    15. Ana Lourenço & Fernando Martins & Beatriz Pereira & Rui Mendes, 2021. "Children Are Back to School, but Is Play Still in Lockdown? Play Experiences, Social Interactions, and Children’s Quality of Life in Primary Education in the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-15, November.
    16. Katrina Lloyd & Dirk Schubotz & Rosellen Roche & Joel Manzi & Martina McKnight, 2023. "A Mental Health Pandemic? Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-16, August.
    17. Katarzyna Kotlarska & Benita Wielgus & Łukasz Cichocki, 2021. "Phenomenology of the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience in Patients Suffering from Chronic Schizophrenia—A Qualitative Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. Justė Lukoševičiūtė & Kastytis Šmigelskas, 2022. "Mental Health during COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Perceptions among Lithuanian Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-15, June.
    19. Daniel Tzu-Hsuan Chen & Yi-Jen Wang, 2021. "Inequality-Related Health and Social Factors and Their Impact on Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a National Survey in the UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-9, January.
    20. Francesco Ruotolo & Gennaro Ruggiero & Zaira Cattaneo & Maria Arioli & Michela Candini & Francesca Frassinetti & Francesca Pazzaglia & Ferdinando Fornara & Andrea Bosco & Tina Iachini, 2023. "Psychological Reactions during and after a Lockdown: Self-Efficacy as a Protective Factor of Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(17), pages 1-15, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:12080-:d:681267. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.