Parental Stress in Managing School-going Children during the COVID-19 Lockdown Period - A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Parental stress has various reasons like low income, broken family, and lesser family or social support. COVID-19 and the lockdown that has been imposed have created stress among the people. This may be due to increased financial instability within the family, illness or exposure to COVID-19 itself. This study is done to assess the stress on parents in managing their school-going children. Aim: To assess the stress on parents in managing school-going children with their online classes and the factors which are concerning for the parents during the lockdown period. Materials and Method: Parents of children between the age group of 5-12 years were included in the study. These parents’ stress level was analysed based on their response to the parental stress scale. Results: The stress level is found to be on the higher side in the case of a single parent working with the mean stress level being 42.6 when compared to both parents working which had a mean stress level of 32.6. Other factors which are found to increase the stress among parents were low socioeconomic status, having children of a younger age group, and parents living in nuclear families. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 lockdown, the mental health of the parents was found to be influenced by various causes. Good family support, better work timing of parents, and a routine help in reducing stress in the family.