Parental Stress in Managing School-going  Children during the COVID-19 Lockdown  Period - A Pilot Study

Sruthi M; Sunitha R; Umadevi L; Antony Jenifer

Sruthi M Postgraduate, , Department of Pediatrics, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute (CHRI), Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.
Sunitha R Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute (CHRI), Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.
Umadevi L Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute (CHRI), Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.
Antony Jenifer Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute (CHRI), Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.

Keywords: Parental Stress, COVID-19 Lockdown, Managing Children

Abstract

Introduction: Parental stress has various reasons like low income, broken family, and lesser family or social support. COVID-19 and the lockdown that has been imposed have created stress among the people. This may be due to increased financial instability within the family, illness or exposure to COVID-19 itself. This study is done to assess the stress on parents in managing their school-going children.

Aim: To assess the stress on parents in managing school-going children with their online classes and the factors which are concerning for the parents during the lockdown period.

Materials and Method: Parents of children between the age group of 5-12 years were included in the study. These parentsâ€™ stress level was analysed based on their response to the parental stress scale.

Results: The stress level is found to be on the higher side in the case of a single parent working with the mean stress level being 42.6 when compared to both parents working which had a mean stress level of 32.6. Other factors which are found to increase the stress among parents were low socioeconomic status, having children of a younger age group, and parents living in nuclear families.

Conclusion: During the COVID-19 lockdown, the mental health of the parents was found to be influenced by various causes. Good family support, better work timing of parents, and a routine help in reducing stress in the family.

How to cite this article:
Sruthi M, Sunitha R, Umadevi L, Jenifer A. Parental Stress in Managing School-going Children during
the COVID-19 Lockdown Period - A Pilot Study. J Commun Dis. 2022;54(2):67-71.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202273

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