Open AccessCOVID-19 Life Events Spill-Over on Family Functioning and Adolescent Adjustment
Author(s) -
Andrea M. Hussong,
Allegra J. Midgette,
Adrianna Richards,
Rachel Petrie,
Jennifer L. Coffman,
Taylor E. Thomas
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of early adolescence/the journal of early adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.085
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1552-5449
pISSN - 0272-4316
DOI - 10.1177/02724316211036744
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , psychology , spillover effect , developmental psychology , life satisfaction , perception , demography , medicine , social psychology , sociology , disease , economics , pathology , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty) , microeconomics
We examined US parent and youth perceptions of how life events, both positive and negative, associated with COVID-19 resulted in changes in family and youth functioning. Families ( n = 105, 80% white, 48% male, and 87% mothers) completed surveys during the pandemic (May to July 2020) and 3 years prior (for youth ages M = 10.6, SD = 1.17 and M = 13.6, SD = 1.19). Declines in youth, though not parent, report of open family communication, parental support, and family satisfaction were found. Declines were associated with various domains of pandemic-related stress in parent report, though positive life events served as buffers. Pre-pandemic family functioning also predicted pandemic stress. Spillover effects in turn impacted youth functioning. The current findings shed light on how experiences of the pandemic are linked with family functioning and have implications for how to support families during this time.