159 - Positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of young children in Sabanalarga, Colombia

Poster Number: 159
Publication Number: 159.112

Meagan E. Williams, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States; Madison M. Berl, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Elizabeth A. Corn, Children's National Health System, DC, DC, United States; Emily Ansusinha, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Margarita Arroyave-Wessel, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Anqing Zhang, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, D.C., DC, United States; Carlos A. Cure, biomelab, Barranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia; Sarah B. Mulkey, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges and opportunities for children and families worldwide. The COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scale (CEFIS) measures the effects of the pandemic on families (Kazak et al., 2021).

Objective: To examine exposures and subsequent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on preschool-aged children and caregivers in Sabanalarga, Colombia.

Design/Methods: The Spanish CEFIS questionnaire was administered in fall 2021 to 63 caregivers of children in Sabanalarga, Colombia enrolled in a neurodevelopment study as healthy controls. The CEFIS assesses COVID-19 exposure and impact including 6 exposure factors (COVID-19 experiences, access to essentials, disruptions to living conditions, loss of income, family caregiving/activities, and designation as an essential worker), personal well-being, family interactions, and caregiver/child distress, with higher scores indicating greater exposure and negative impact. Descriptive and correlation analyses among exposure and impact scores were conducted.

Results: Participants reported a mean (SD) of 11.14 (3.21) among 25 COVID-19-related events. All families had a stay-at-home order and all local schools were closed. Fifty-four families (86%) experienced disruptions to living conditions (e.g., permanent loss of work or needing to live separately). Fifty-two (83%) reported pandemic-related income loss and difficulty accessing essentials such as food (59%), medications (51%), medical care (51%), and other necessities. 25% had at least one family member who had COVID-19 and was symptomatic. Total number of COVID-19 exposures was correlated with higher caregiver (P < .001) and child distress (P=.002). Despite high exposure, the mean impact score of 2.02 (0.55) was below the midpoint, suggesting a trend toward more positive impact than negative. Positive impacts included improvements to caregivers’ parenting (98%), sleep (69%), and exercise (64%) and their family getting along better (95%). Some caregivers (n=21) qualitatively reported effects of COVID-19. Among these were negative effects like unemployment, fear/anxiety, and inability to visit family, and positive effects such as unification, closeness with family, and spending time with children.Conclusion(s): Despite many COVID-related events, families in Sabanalarga report some positive impact of the pandemic on their families’ lives. By exploring positive and negative impacts of the pandemic using tools like the CEFIS, those seeking to mitigate negative impacts can contextualize data to better understand study outcomes and tailor services, resources, and policy to families’ unique needs.