Ameena Ahmed, M.A.

,
Parent Functioning, Coping, and Parenting Arianna Constantakes,
Psy.D., Stacey P. Raj,
Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic Ph.D. (Faculty Mentor)

Introduction Methods Continued Results Continued

● COVID-19 has caused changes in the lives of
many, particularly individuals with
developmental disabilities (DDs) and their
families (Gardner, 2020).
● Efforts to lessen the virus have included
quarantining, maximizing distance, and
transitioning school and services online
○ Routines, interventions, activities, and
connections with providers and external
supports has decreased (Gardner, 2020).
○ Parents and caregivers have struggled to
balance work, child-care, and self-care while
also experiencing naturally arising feelings of
anxiety during this time (Child Mind Institute,
2020).
● The following data sheds light on the
relationships between self-compassion, well-
being, stress, and depression among parents of
children with DDs during COVID-19.
● Qualitative findings will illuminate how some
caregivers manage parenting stress and how
the pandemic has impacted functioning.
● Measures from Study 2: Results from Study 2:
○ The Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003); Questionnaire on Resources and Stress ● Higher levels of self-compassion were
– Friedrich Short Form (Friedrich, Greenberg, & Crnic, 1983); Hospital Anxiety and associated with lower leves of anxiety (r =
Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) -.52, p > .001) and depression ( r = -.53, p > .
○ Parents were prompted to answer the following questions: 001), though not of parent stress ( r = .24).
■ Consider a recent stressful parenting situation related to a challenging behavior ● 46 parents provided qualitative responses on
your child exhibited. What did you do to manage the stress you experienced as a how they generally manage parenting stress,
result of the situation? with 4 apparent themes:
■ In general, what do you do to help manage parenting stress that you 1. Separation from child (“Took time alone to
experience? just hit the reset button.”)
2. Connection with others (“Date night once a
Results week, talk to sister daily.” )
3. Caring for physical wellbeing (“Go for a run”)
Results from Study 1: 4. Breathing (“I take a deep breath and try to
relax”)
● At baseline, higher levels of self-compassion were associated with lower levels
● A few parents reported being unable to
of depression (r = -.53, p<.01) and stress (r = -.55, p<.01), and higher levels of manage their stress (“I have no help so I
well-being (r = .73, p<.01) literally can not take any time to myself to de-
stress. It’s so hard.“)
Discussion

● Parenting a child with DDs is generally

Methods
● Data from 2 separate studies with parents of
children with DDs during COVID-19.
● Caregivers were recruited from community
agencies, a children’s hospital, and social media
sites.
● Data presented is based on a total of 102
caregivers. (97 mothers, 5 fathers, 86% white)
● Measures from Study 1:
○ The Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003); The
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale - 21 (Henry &
Crawford, 2005); Warwick-Edinburgh Mental
Well-Being Scale (Tennant et al., 2007)
○ Participants also reported on how their mood,
physical health, and relasionthip to child/ren
and partner has been impacted by COVID-19.
○ Parents also responded to the following prompt:
■ In what other ways has your life been
affected by COVID-19?
■ What has your experience been like
navigating this pandemic as a caregiver?
● 37 parents provided qualitative responses on how COVID-19 has impacted their
lives, with 5 apparent themes:
1. Difficulties with virtual school/therapy (“It all became Zoom calls, and less
helpful.”)
2. Isolation (“I have felt extremely isolated. We do not go anywhere.”)
3. Challenges with work (“It has been very difficult to work from home and try to be
productive.”)
4. Wearing too many “hats” (“There is never a break - going from caring for kids,
caring for house, and working full-time.”)
5. An inability to engage in previously enjoyed activities (“We can’t go out and do
things that make us happy.”)
challenging, and these challenges increased
and were compounded during COVID-19.
● Parents used a variety of coping strategies
during COVID-19.
● Interventions targeting parents of children
with DDs need to be sensitive to the specific
needs to these families.
● Parents need to be made more aware of and
offered services that are accessible to them
such as childcare and telehealth options.
● The connection between parent anxiety and
depression symptoms and self-compassion may
be a helpful intervention target for parents of
children with DDs.
Limitations:
● The current studies present data from a small
sample of parents.
● The current sample was homogeneous (mostly
white mothers) limiting the ability to generalize
conclusions, especially regarding the experience
of fathers and other underrepresented
populations in research.