Coping with COVID-19 challenges

2020

Coping with COVID-19 challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing many challenges for families across the world. The Emerging Minds Network, a research network that aims to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems experienced by children and young people, is conducting the Co-SPACE Study to see how families are coping with the challenges of COVID-19. They are gathering information that relates to family life and relationships, overall health and wellbeing, parenting, psychological symptoms and how participants are coping during the Covid-19 pandemic. The questions cover quite a lot of areas so that they can get a good understanding of how things are for families currently, and what kind of support they might need. The data collected covers the UK, Ireland, Iran, Denmark and the US. 

So far, 5000 participants have taken part in the study. The conclusions can be found here. Some key findings from this stage of the research are: 

• Nearly half the parents/carers thought that their child was concerned about family and friends catching the virus.

• Around a third of parents/carers reported that their child was worried about missing school.

• Work is the most frequent source of stress for parents, followed by their child’s emotional wellbeing.

• Parents of children with special educational needs and neurodevelopmental disorders (SEN/ND) report higher levels of stress across all areas. 

• 80% of those who were previously receiving support from services have had this stopped or postponed during the pandemic.

• Parents particularly want support around their child’s emotional wellbeing, education and coming out of social isolation.

• Parents/carers would value online written materials and videos, while parents with children with SEN/ND would also like online support from professionals.

The research is not finished yet, and it is still possible to fill in the survey, which takes around 15-20 minutes to complete.