Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children: family factors underlying resilience during COVID-19
Berg, Jenni (2022)
Berg, Jenni
2022
Psykologian maisteriohjelma - Master's Programme in Psychology
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-09-19
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202208246721
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202208246721
Tiivistelmä
The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as an adversity affecting the lives of families all around the world, and it has been suggested to affect the mental health of children in a deteriorating way. Although not all children experience the negative effects of adversity and can be seen as resilient. Resilience is characterized by displaying a positive outcome despite experiencing adversity. Previous resilience research has displayed multiple family-related protective and risk factors which have an impact on resilience. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of parental distress, dysfunctional parent-child interaction, parent’s satisfaction to social support, and financial difficulties on resilience displayed by the child during the pandemic. Resilience was measured by internalizing and externalizing symptoms displayed by the child during the pandemic, while previous levels of symptoms were controlled for. The hypothesis was that all family factors investigated would have an impact on internalizing and externalizing symptoms displayed by the child during the pandemic so that parental distress, dysfunctional parent-child interaction, and financial difficulties would be seen as risk factors associated with higher amounts of symptoms, whereas satisfaction to social support would act as a protective factor associated with lower amounts of symptoms experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study population consisted of 258 children and their caregivers, and it was derived from a longitudinal study called Vitamin D Intervention in Infants (VIDI) in Finland. Parents filled in questionnaires regarding their child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms when the children were 2 years old using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) questionnaire and again when the children were 6-8 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist version for school-aged children (CBCL/6-18). At the second follow-up when the children were 6-8 years of age, parents also filled in a questionnaire called Parenting Stress Index Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI-4-SF) measuring parental distress and dysfunctional parent-child interaction as well as the Social Support Questionnaire Short Form (SSQSR) measuring the parent’s satisfaction to social support. In addition, parents were asked one question regarding the family’s financial difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic took place during the second follow-up when the children were 6-8 years old. The influence of family factors on resilience measured by internalizing and externalizing symptoms were analyzed using linear regression.
This study found multiple associations between family factors and the resilience of the child during COVID-19 when looking at internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Parental distress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms in the 6-8-year-old children during the pandemic when previous symptoms were controlled for. In addition, the family’s financial difficulties were associated with increased internalizing symptoms in 6-8-year-old children during the pandemic when previous symptoms were controlled for. The study thus found partial support for the hypotheses and offered new valuable information on factors affecting resilience in Finnish children during the pandemic. These results may help guide future family interventions during adversity and help identify risk factors to look out for. Topics for further research include looking at the effect of the child’s temperament and child’s social support on resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study population consisted of 258 children and their caregivers, and it was derived from a longitudinal study called Vitamin D Intervention in Infants (VIDI) in Finland. Parents filled in questionnaires regarding their child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms when the children were 2 years old using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) questionnaire and again when the children were 6-8 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist version for school-aged children (CBCL/6-18). At the second follow-up when the children were 6-8 years of age, parents also filled in a questionnaire called Parenting Stress Index Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI-4-SF) measuring parental distress and dysfunctional parent-child interaction as well as the Social Support Questionnaire Short Form (SSQSR) measuring the parent’s satisfaction to social support. In addition, parents were asked one question regarding the family’s financial difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic took place during the second follow-up when the children were 6-8 years old. The influence of family factors on resilience measured by internalizing and externalizing symptoms were analyzed using linear regression.
This study found multiple associations between family factors and the resilience of the child during COVID-19 when looking at internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Parental distress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms in the 6-8-year-old children during the pandemic when previous symptoms were controlled for. In addition, the family’s financial difficulties were associated with increased internalizing symptoms in 6-8-year-old children during the pandemic when previous symptoms were controlled for. The study thus found partial support for the hypotheses and offered new valuable information on factors affecting resilience in Finnish children during the pandemic. These results may help guide future family interventions during adversity and help identify risk factors to look out for. Topics for further research include looking at the effect of the child’s temperament and child’s social support on resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.