Impact of COVID19 on children and parents.
What has been the impact of COVID19 on children and parents?
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has led to an immediate and chronic fallout of negative effects on the mental health and wellbeing of children and parents across Australia. This research-based on an online survey of parents found that a quarter of parents felt that they were failing their children and more than a third stated that they had lost confidence about their parenting. These problems emerged at exactly the time when parents noticed that their children needed more reassurance and were experiencing signs of heightened stress such as eating and sleeping disturbances.
A third of parents felt isolated and left without adequate support. Almost 40% were worried that their own stress and mental health was adversely affecting the wellbeing of their children.
But it is not all doom and gloom. The majority of parents emerged from the first experience of lockdown with an increased appreciation for their family and time with their children. The results reveal families enjoying extra time together, facing unique challenges with love and using the comfort of each other to face adversity.
Almost half of the parents (48%) believed that the experiences of COVID-19 will lead them to change their long term approach to parenting and family life. Indeed, almost 8 in 10 parents believed that COVID-19 would result in the experience of a stronger and more cohesive sense of family in the future.