Current Conditions and Issues of Families with Elementary School-Aged Children During the Spread of COVID-19

Abstract

Background/Objectives: With the spreadof COVID-19 infections, measures restricting many activities have beeninstituted, which may increase the levels of stress in families withschool-aged children. The objectives of this study were to conduct a survey tounderstand the current conditions of those families, and to investigate thesituation between parents and children at home.

Methods: Participantswere 319 parents: 105 in Iwate prefecture, 108 in the Tokyo metropolitan area,and 106 in Okinawa prefecture. We developed a questionnaire, and the survey wasadministered by a web-based research firm.

Results: While followingthe stay-at-home guidance during the declared state of emergency period,compared with parents in Iwate and Okinawa, those in Tokyo showed significantlyhigher levels of anxiety about the following items: “Emotional problems,”reported by 55 parents (50.9%, p=0.001); “Interpersonal relationships amongfamily members,” reported by 34 parents (31.5%, p=0.004); and “Interpersonalrelationships with acquaintances,” reported by 20 parents (18.5%, p=0.001).Regarding children, parents in Tokyo also showed significantly higher levels ofanxiety about “Education,” reported by 66 parents (61.1%, p<0.001). Forchanges in the parenting environment and impacts on their work (5-point Likertscale), the mean scores of parents in Tokyo were significantly higher thanthose in other prefectures, and they were more likely to report positiveimpacts. As an example of a positive impact, some mentioned the increase ininteractions with their children. However, they also reported issues such as lessfree time for themselves as a negative impact. Addressing the issue of theirchildren falling behind because of school closures, some parents reported thatthey achieved positive outcomes through various forms of supplementary lessonsoutside of school. In addition, regarding the use of ICT-based learning, manyparents requested implementation of distance learning and hybrid lessons.

Discussion: Restrictions on activities during the state ofemergency caused anxiety and stress within families with school-aged children.However, although high levels of stress were anticipated with the increasedamount of time spent with children due to the stay-at-home guidance, manyparents in this study reported that they viewed these mandates positively andmany found positive impacts on their work. In addition, to address the anxietyabout delays in their children’s learning, parents made efforts to use allavailable resources in their environments, which made them feel that theygenerated positive outcomes. Further studies and data collection will be neededto consider the optimal care of children in the future.