166 - A lost year for some: the experience and distribution of suffering during COVID-19 among families with young children

Poster Number: 166
Publication Number: 166.412

Emilia Zevallos-Roberts, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Los Angeles, VA, United States; Bergen B. Nelson, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Richmond, VA, United States; Gery Ryan, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, United States; Lindsey R. Thompson, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, United States; Jazmin Jimenez, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, United States; Rebecca Dudovitz, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Paul J. Chung, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, United States

Background: Economic and social stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have fallen particularly hard on families with young children. Researchers have used surveys to summarize COVID-19’s impact on job loss, food security, and mental health but have not often explored families’ stories in-depth using qualitative data.

Objective: To better understand the impact of the pandemic and resulting economic and social disruptions on families with young children, we sought to analyze qualitative data capturing perspectives from parents of children aged 1-3 years in LA County, CA.

Design/Methods: This study is a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted over 15 months beginning in September 2020 as part of an ongoing randomized trial of a new telephone-based approach to early childhood care coordination, conducted in partnership with 211LA. Participants were parents of young children aged 1-3 years at enrollment, recruited from four primary care systems serving mainly lower-income families in LA. Along with quantitative data collection, parents were also asked to “please describe in your own words how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected you and your family.” Responses were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated as needed, and analyzed in Dedoose for emergent qualitative themes. Analyses used the constant comparison method and continued until thematic saturation was achieved.

Results: A summary of emergent themes and exemplar quotes is presented in Table 1. Among the 460 parent responses, those that reported moderate to extreme stress shared similar sources of anxiety: their child’s social development, juggling of homeschooling and childcare, and their own social isolation. Parents whose open-ended responses focused on suffering highlighted economic hardship and lack of caregiver support as major drivers of stress. Meanwhile, families whose response included “silver linings” reported that their ability to adapt to or absorb pandemic disruptions allowed for strengthening of family ties and positive lifestyle modifications.Conclusion(s): Experiences of families with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic were not uniform. Findings suggest that economic stability and reliable childcare may be critical moderators of familial stress. From a policy perspective, results affirm that the pandemic’s impacts are being distributed through channels largely built on existing disparities and thus are likely exacerbating these disparities; for lower-income families with young children, pandemic-related policies that target family economic stability and childcare assistance may need to be prioritized over others.
CVCV_PAS.pdf