gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Amidst the backdrop of the pandemic, there has been a noticeable uptick in parenting stress as well as mental health challenges for both parents and children. However, the lasting repercussions of the pandemic on families remain largely unexplored. Furthermore, young families are contending with additional stressors such as economic inflation, political conflicts in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East or the climate crisis, the ramifications of which on family well-being are not yet understood.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving families (Ntotal = 17,333) with children aged 0-12 years to examine parental stress levels and mental health issues among both parents and children in light of current social and political challenges. Validated questionnaires were utilized to gather data, and potential factors contributing to parental stress were also investigated.

Results: Our findings revealed that 53.7% of parents reported feeling stressed or very stressed, with 13.5% experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 14.6% exhibiting signs of depression. Additionally, 34.9% of infants displayed crying and sleeping difficulties, while emotional and behavioral problems were observed in 10.4% of children under 4 years old and 8.7% of those aged 4 and above. A significant portion of parents (59.3%) found economic inflation to be stressful or very stressful, with social polarization and division (49.3%), the Ukraine crisis (37.9%), and the climate crisis (31.8%) also cited as sources of stress. Furthermore, for 31.6% of families, the lingering effects of the pandemic continued to pose a (major) burden. Across all age groups, children's behavioral issues, along with challenges related to social challenges emerged as primary predictors of parental stress.

Conclusion: Our study underscores that psychosocial stressors for families with children remain pronounced even in the post-pandemic era, and in some cases, have intensified compared to the peak of the pandemic. Moreover, our findings shed light on the impact of broader societal trends, such as economic inflation and social polarization, on family well-being. Addressing these stressors and promoting the mental health of infants, while bolstering parental resilience by alleviating parenting stress, should be key priorities for healthcare initiatives in the aftermath of COVID-19.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

The authors declare that a positive ethics committee vote has been obtained.