Mothers' perspectives on children's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: An exploratory study

Abstract

In large-scale crises, recovery efforts often receive limited empirical attention. The COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2023) significantly disrupted children's lives in the United States. This exploratory mixed-methods study involved 58 mothers who completed online surveys about their children's (ages 2–17) recovery. Using the Children's Best Interest Wheel, the study analyzed data through descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. It explored recovery across child safety, health, development, learning, care, home, and relationships. Mothers reported that children were nearly recovered in each of these areas.