Keywords
parental stress
harsh parenting
emotional closeness
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has significantly changed people’s everyday lives, threatening the quality and even durability of intra-family relationships. The relationship between mother and child is particularly vulnerable to the disruptive impact of the pandemic. The article examines the relationship between mothers’ perceived threat of coronavirus and their pandemic experiences, and their relationships with their children. The analyses took into account the mediating role of parental stress and the following indicators of the mother-child relationship: mother’s perceived closeness with her child and mother-reported increase in the use of harsh parenting related to the pandemic. Method: The perceived threat of coronavirus and the pandemic experiences were assessed using scales based on the Coronavirus Experiences and Impacts Questionnaire (Conway, Woodard, & Zubrod, 2020). Parental stress was tested using the Polish version of The Parental Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), while the mother’s relationship with the child was measured using the Polish version of the scales developed by Chung, Lanier, and Wong (2020). The study involved 155 mothers who are in a relationship and have at least one child up to 12 years of age. Statistical analyses were performed using SEM structural equation modeling. Results: It was found that during the pandemic, mothers’ negative experiences related to the pandemic had a significant effect on mother-child relationships, which was associated with a greater increase in the use of harsh parenting as reported by mothers and a decrease in their perceived closeness with their children. This effect was mediated by parental stress. There was no significant correlation between the perceived threat of coronavirus and mother-child relations. Conclusions: The pandemic and the related difficult situations constitute a significant risk factor for child abuse and neglect in the group of mothers. This indicates the need to support mothers.
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