Session: A Snapshot of How American Families Are Coping during a Pandemic (Society for Social Work and Research 25th Annual Conference - Social Work Science for Social Change)

On March 11, 2020, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. On March 16, 2020, the U.S. White House issued social distancing guidelines. State of Emergency declarations required school closures, cancellation of activities, and restrictions on movement. Social distancing, although required to prevent disease spread, removed the social, educational, and community supports that buffer parents in times of crisis. Coupled with a quadruple in the unemployment rate, these factors create enormous strain on parents, and exacerbate factors linked to child maltreatment and interpersonal violence.

This symposium provides a snapshot of how American families are coping with Covid-19, even as the crisis itself is unfolding. Study #1 uses data from a national survey of parents that was conducted in March. Cross-sectional analyses (N = 288) indicated that parents reported higher levels of conflict with their children during the pandemic: 61% shouted, yelled, or screamed at their children at least once in the past 2 weeks; 1 in 5 used physical punishment. Parents’ perceived social isolation was associated with child maltreatment risk behaviors.

Study #2 lends nuance to the results of the first study. Data were from a longitudinal study of low-income mothers (N = 700) in the Midwest to examine challenges during the pandemic. Content analysis of qualitative data indicated two main responses: many poor mothers felt that nothing had changed or that, with increased financial strain, they were experiencing more stress and less patience. 25% of mothers felt they were not receiving the social and material resources they needed to help their families.

Study #3 uses data from mothers who were, previous to the pandemic, enrolled in a prospective study including high-risk parents. The results will use longitudinal analyses to examine factors that predict maltreatment risk behaviors during the pandemic. These data triangulate with Study #1 because both studies use the same measures assessing child maltreatment risk behaviors and changes in discipline as a result of the pandemic. Thus, results of study #1 and study #3 will be compared to understand how these processes may be similar or different in a national convenience sample that was not high-risk (Study #1) compared to higher-risk parents (Study #3). Of note is that data collection for Study #3 is ongoing (over half of the data collected). Although not yet analyzed, these data demonstrate an advantage of using longitudinal, prospective data that can speak to pre-pandemic risk factors for child maltreatment risk behaviors during the pandemic.

Study #4 uses data from a national survey of adults conducted in March. Cross-sectional analyses (N = 562) indicate high rates of depression and anxiety, and show that mental health factors, along with increased alcohol use and marijuana use, are associated with conflict in romantic relationships, verbal and physical fights, and lower dyadic coping scores.

This symposium will contribute knowledge regarding how social workers can prepare to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families during the next crisis, or, if as predicted by many public health scholars, schools remain closed in the fall. on 5-8-2020-->