Parenting through COVID-19 Related Adversity: A Qualitative Study using a Cognitive-Behavioral Framework

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was a source of global prolonged, multilayered adversity that caused heightened levels of social, emotional, and psychological stressors. It is imperative to understand the heightened stressors and protective factors that caregivers experienced during the pandemic in order to better contextualize treatment for caregivers, their children, and families today. Research has shown that caregiver and child well-being are interconnected. Indicating that the impacts of the pandemic on caregivers as individuals likely contributed to overall child well-being in the context of changes in parental thoughts, feelings, and actions. Therefore, the primary objectives of the current study were to determine, from a qualitative perspective, positive and negative parenting behavioral changes throughout various levels of stay in place orders attributed to the pandemic and how these experiences may fit within the cognitive behavioral framework. A sample of caregivers (N = 67) across five states were identified by previous studies, social media advertisements, community events, and medical clinics. It is important to note that the caregivers in the current sample were predominantly white and highly educated. Caregivers reported perceived positive and negative parenting changes experienced during the pandemic (child age range = 6 weeks to 4 years). Fewer than one-third of participants described negative parenting changes, such as harsher parenting practices or increased irritability. In contrast, over half of caregivers described positive changes, including increased quality time, stronger feelings of attachment, greater patience, and flexibility. These findings emerged from thematic analysis and reflect the most frequently discussed patterns across interviews. This exploratory study acknowledges the difficulties of parenting during a pandemic while also identifying and emphasizing the strategies families used to adapt.