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Triggered by worry: A dynamic network analysis of COVID-19 pandemic-related anxiety and parental stress
Background: Major disruptions to daily life routines made families and parents particularly vulnerable to psy- chological distress during the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, the specific psychopathological processes related to within-person variation and maintenance of anxiety symptomatology and parent...
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Online Access: | Request full text |
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Summary: | Background: Major disruptions to daily life routines made families and parents particularly vulnerable to psy-
chological distress during the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, the specific psychopathological processes related
to within-person variation and maintenance of anxiety symptomatology and parental distress components in the
parental population have been largely unexplored in the literature. Methods: In this preregistered intensive
longitudinal study, a multilevel dynamic network was used to model within-person interactions between anxiety
symptomatology, psychopathological processes, parental distress, and protective lifestyle components in a
sample of 495 parents—each responding to daily assessments over a 40-day period. A total of 30,195 observa-
tions were collected across the subjects.
Results: Extensive worry, threat monitoring, and uncontrollability of worry were identified as overreaching
psychopathological processes related to the aggravation of other symptoms of anxiety and parental distress. A
strong association was found between parental stress and parental burnout. Anger toward one's child was
associated with both parental stress and parental burnout. Protective factors showed the lowest strength cen-
trality, with few and weak connections to other symptoms and processes in the network.
Limitations: Associations may exist between the study variables on a different time scale; hence, different time
lags should be used in future research. Conclusions: Accessible, low-cost interventions that address worry, threat
monitoring, and the uncontrollability of worry could serve as potential targets for reducing the symptom burden
of anxiety and distress in the parental population. |
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