The Negative Impact of Parental Stress on Children’s Well-being during the Pandemic

According to a study by the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, parental stress rubbed off on children during the pandemic. “The more stressed the parents were, the worse it was for the children,” said a statement from the university on Monday. This was particularly noticeable in the second lockdown. “The well-being of families has declined over the entire period of the corona pandemic,” said Samuel Essler, one of the study authors.

It was examined how the different phases of the lockdown and relaxation between spring 2020 and March 2021 affected the children’s psyche. According to the LMU, the results confirmed that the well-being of the 3- to 6-year-olds decreased due to the isolation and the lack of contact with peers.

According to the study, the so-called resilience factor was observed in situations where the relationship between parents and children was good. This refers to the children’s ability to deal with the current challenges and to adapt more easily. However, the results of the study show that as the stress on the parents increased, the children were also continuously negatively affected.