Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov 1;45(10):1114-1123.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa093.

Parenting-Related Exhaustion During the Italian COVID-19 Lockdown

Daniela Marchetti  1 , Lilybeth Fontanesi  1 , Cristina Mazza  2 , Serena Di Giandomenico  1 , Paolo Roma  3 , Maria Cristina Verrocchio  1
Affiliations

Parenting-Related Exhaustion During the Italian COVID-19 Lockdown

Daniela Marchetti et al. J Pediatr Psychol. .

Abstract

Objective: Worldwide, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated significant worry, uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. In Italy, these effects have been particularly pronounced. While research on the COVID-19 outbreak has mainly focused on the clinical features of infected patients and the psychological impact on the general population and health professionals, no investigation has yet assessed the psychological impact of the pandemic on parents. In the present research, we conducted a web-based survey of Italian parents to examine the prevalence of parenting-related exhaustion-and to identify its associated risk and protective factors-4 weeks into the lockdown.

Methods: A total of 1,226 parents provided their consent to participate in the study and completed a demographic questionnaire, information relating to particular COVID-19 experiences, and measures of emotional exhaustion, parental resilience, social connections, and psychological distress during the lockdown.

Results: Seventeen percent of our sample experienced significant parenting-related exhaustion, with mothers more severely affected. Multiple regression analyses showed that greater parenting-related exhaustion was predicted by psychological distress, lower parental resilience, motherhood, fewer perceived social connections, and being single, as well as having a child with special needs, having a large number of children, and having younger children.

Conclusion: The findings add further support to the call for preventive programs to support parents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health professionals and social workers should be warned of the effects of lockdown and social distancing on parenting and, consequently, the well-being of children.

Keywords: parent stress; resilience; social support.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bøe T., Serlachius A. S., Sivertsen B., Petrie K. J., Hysing M. (2018). Cumulative effects of negative life events and family stress on children’s mental health: The Bergen Child Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53(1), 1–9. 10.1007/s00127-017-1451-4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brooks S. K., Webster R. K., Smith L. E., Woodland L., Wessely S., Greenberg N., Rubin G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395, 912–920. 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cluver L., Lachman J. M., Sherr L., Wessels I., Krug E., Rakotomalala S., Blight S., Hillis S., Bachman G., Green O., Butchart A., Tomlinson M., Ward C. L., Doubt J., McDonald K. (2020). Parenting in a time of COVID-19. The Lancet, 395, e64.10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30736-4 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cohen R. E. (2002). Mental health services for victims of disasters. World Psychiatry, 1, 149–152. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Colizzi M., Sironi E., Antonini F., Ciceri M. L., Bovo C., Zoccante L. (2020). Psychosocial and behavioral impact of COVID-19 in autism spectrum disorder: An online parent survey. Brain Sciences, 10, 341.10.3390/brainsci10060341 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms