SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis
BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 pandemic have posed great challenges for all families and children. Health risks and fears associated with SARS-CoV-2 negatively affect the parental mental health and perceived stress, which in turn influence parental coping and thereby impairs the mental health and well-being o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Pediatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1156282/full |
| _version_ | 1827976501460467712 |
|---|---|
| author | Manuela (Gulde) Dalhof Katharina Rost Ute Ziegenhain Jörg M. Fegert Franziska Köhler-Dauner |
| author_facet | Manuela (Gulde) Dalhof Katharina Rost Ute Ziegenhain Jörg M. Fegert Franziska Köhler-Dauner |
| author_sort | Manuela (Gulde) Dalhof |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 pandemic have posed great challenges for all families and children. Health risks and fears associated with SARS-CoV-2 negatively affect the parental mental health and perceived stress, which in turn influence parental coping and thereby impairs the mental health and well-being of their children. Additional risk factors within the parents, such as maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) experiences, may increase the risk of children to develop emotional problems during the pandemic.ObjectiveThe purpose of this longitudinal study is to determine whether preschool children of mothers with CM are at higher risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic than preschool children of mothers without CM.Method74 mothers from a birth cohort examining pathways to resilience or vulnerability in the transgenerational transmission of CM, provided information on emotional problems of their children (aged 3–7 years) at two measurement time points (t1: May 2020, t2: March 2021) as part of an online “SARS-CoV-2 pandemic” survey. In addition, parents were asked for a retrospective assessment of their children's emotional problems before the pandemic at time t1. Children's emotional problems were assessed using the “emotional problems” scale of the German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and linked to previously collected data on mothers' childhood maltreatment experiences, which were collected using the German short version of the Trauma in Childhood Questionnaire (CTQ).ResultsOur analyses showed that children's emotional problems increased significantly over the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [F(1.86, 116.88) = 3.72, p = 0.030 η2 = 0.06] and were rated significantly higher in the group of children of mothers with CM, than in the group of mothers without CM [F(1, 63) = 126.06, p < 0.001 η2 = 0.67]. Furthermore children's emotional problems of mothers with CM increased significantly more and reached a clinically significant value during the pandemic than for children of mothers without CM [F(1.86, 116.88) = 8.89, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.12].ConclusionsChildren of mothers with CM appear to be at increased risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic. CM therefore needs to be considered as an additional risk factor in the impact of the pandemic on children. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:37:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23138354c5df4e079f49978968c22cad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:37:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-23138354c5df4e079f49978968c22cad2023-03-30T07:21:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pediatrics2296-23602023-03-011110.3389/fped.2023.11562821156282SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysisManuela (Gulde) DalhofKatharina RostUte ZiegenhainJörg M. FegertFranziska Köhler-DaunerBackgroundSARS-CoV-2 pandemic have posed great challenges for all families and children. Health risks and fears associated with SARS-CoV-2 negatively affect the parental mental health and perceived stress, which in turn influence parental coping and thereby impairs the mental health and well-being of their children. Additional risk factors within the parents, such as maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) experiences, may increase the risk of children to develop emotional problems during the pandemic.ObjectiveThe purpose of this longitudinal study is to determine whether preschool children of mothers with CM are at higher risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic than preschool children of mothers without CM.Method74 mothers from a birth cohort examining pathways to resilience or vulnerability in the transgenerational transmission of CM, provided information on emotional problems of their children (aged 3–7 years) at two measurement time points (t1: May 2020, t2: March 2021) as part of an online “SARS-CoV-2 pandemic” survey. In addition, parents were asked for a retrospective assessment of their children's emotional problems before the pandemic at time t1. Children's emotional problems were assessed using the “emotional problems” scale of the German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and linked to previously collected data on mothers' childhood maltreatment experiences, which were collected using the German short version of the Trauma in Childhood Questionnaire (CTQ).ResultsOur analyses showed that children's emotional problems increased significantly over the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [F(1.86, 116.88) = 3.72, p = 0.030 η2 = 0.06] and were rated significantly higher in the group of children of mothers with CM, than in the group of mothers without CM [F(1, 63) = 126.06, p < 0.001 η2 = 0.67]. Furthermore children's emotional problems of mothers with CM increased significantly more and reached a clinically significant value during the pandemic than for children of mothers without CM [F(1.86, 116.88) = 8.89, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.12].ConclusionsChildren of mothers with CM appear to be at increased risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic. CM therefore needs to be considered as an additional risk factor in the impact of the pandemic on children.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1156282/fullchildren's emotional problemsSARS-CoV-2 pandemicmaternal childhood maltreatment (CM)risk factorsparental mental health |
| spellingShingle | Manuela (Gulde) Dalhof Katharina Rost Ute Ziegenhain Jörg M. Fegert Franziska Köhler-Dauner SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis Frontiers in Pediatrics children's emotional problems SARS-CoV-2 pandemic maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) risk factors parental mental health |
| title | SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis |
| title_full | SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis |
| title_fullStr | SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis |
| title_short | SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic–a longitudinal analysis |
| title_sort | sars cov 2 pandemic as a catalyst development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic a longitudinal analysis |
| topic | children's emotional problems SARS-CoV-2 pandemic maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) risk factors parental mental health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1156282/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT manuelaguldedalhof sarscov2pandemicasacatalystdevelopmentofemotionalproblemsofpreschoolchildrenofmotherswithchildhoodmaltreatmentexperiencesinthecourseofthepandemicalongitudinalanalysis AT katharinarost sarscov2pandemicasacatalystdevelopmentofemotionalproblemsofpreschoolchildrenofmotherswithchildhoodmaltreatmentexperiencesinthecourseofthepandemicalongitudinalanalysis AT uteziegenhain sarscov2pandemicasacatalystdevelopmentofemotionalproblemsofpreschoolchildrenofmotherswithchildhoodmaltreatmentexperiencesinthecourseofthepandemicalongitudinalanalysis AT jorgmfegert sarscov2pandemicasacatalystdevelopmentofemotionalproblemsofpreschoolchildrenofmotherswithchildhoodmaltreatmentexperiencesinthecourseofthepandemicalongitudinalanalysis AT franziskakohlerdauner sarscov2pandemicasacatalystdevelopmentofemotionalproblemsofpreschoolchildrenofmotherswithchildhoodmaltreatmentexperiencesinthecourseofthepandemicalongitudinalanalysis |