Why did we do this study?
- There is clear evidence that the pandemic affected children’s mental health. However, there is still limited information about whether the effects differed for different children, especially those from low-income families
- We explored variability in changes in children’s emotional (internalizing) and behavioural (externalizing) problems before and during the pandemic
- We also looked at how maternal factors, such as their mental health and parenting, played a role in these changes
What did we do?
- We used data from 289 families whose mothers reported on their children’s mental health (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) both before and during the pandemic using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
- Internalizing problems included the conduct problems (e.g., “Often loses temper”) and hyperactivity (e.g., “Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long”) subscales from the SDQ;
- Externalizing problems included the emotional problems (e.g., “Many worries or often seems worried”) and peer problems (e.g., “Gets along better with adults than with other children”) subscales from the SDQ
- We used a data analysis method called Latent Transition Analysis to identify and compare children’s mental health profiles before and during the pandemic. This approach allowed us to track how children’s profiles changed from the pre-pandemic period to during COVID
- We examined how mothers’ parenting (measured by the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale) and their anxiety and depression levels (assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Patient Health Questionnaire scales) prior to the pandemic were related to their children’s mental health profiles
More information about Latent Profile Analysis
Think of a “profile” as a way to categorize mothers into different groups based on different aspects of their parenting. In this case, the groups are determined by their levels of maternal responsivity, hostile-reactive behaviours, overprotection towards their children, parental self-efficacy, and perceived parental impact. These parenting characteristics were similar among mothers in each group.
More information about Profiles
Think of a “profile” as a way to categorize children into different groups based on patterns observed across different aspects of their mental health. Each profile reflects a unique combination of mental health indicators, such as levels of internalizing and externalizing problems.
Identifying these profiles helps us understand differences in children’s experiences and needs. For example, some children may thrive, while others may struggle with emotional challenges.
What did we find?
- We identified three mental health profiles both before and during the pandemic. The profiles were children with:
- average levels of internalizing and externalizing problems
- externalizing problems (like hyperactivity)
- both internalizing and externalizing problems
- Most children’s mental health profiles remained stable before and during the pandemic. However, some children in all three of the pre-pandemic profiles experienced either improvements or declines in their mental health (see figure below)
This figure depicts how children moved between profiles from pre- to during the pandemic. Note N in the figure means the number of children in that profile.
- Both pre-and during the pandemic:
- Children whose mothers exhibited higher levels of hostility were more likely to be classified in the Externalizing Problems profile
- Children of mothers with higher parenting confidence tended to fall into the Average Levels of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems profile
- Children whose mothers had clinical levels of anxiety or depression before the pandemic were more likely to be categorized in the Internalizing and Externalizing Problems profile or the Externalizing Problems profile during the pandemic
What does this mean?
- Children’s mental health responses to the pandemic were diverse, with some experiencing stability, others improving, and some declining
- It is important to address the unique needs of different groups of children in times of crisis
- Maternal mental health and parenting are key factors in shaping children’s mental health outcomes.
- Policymakers and clinicians can use this knowledge to tailor interventions that better support children and their families, particularly for low-income families experiencing large-scale adversities