Effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on caregiver mental health and the child caregiving environment in a low‐resource, rural context

Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID‐19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement amo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child Development 2021-09, Vol.92 (5), p.e764-e780
Main Authors: Pitchik, Helen O., Tofail, Fahmida, Akter, Fahmida, Sultana, Jesmin, Shoab, AKM, Huda, Tarique M. N., Forsyth, Jenna E., Kaushal, Natasha, Jahir, Tania, Yeasmin, Farzana, Khan, Rizwana, Das, Jyoti B., Hossain, Md, Hasan, Md. Rezaul, Rahman, Mahbubur, Winch, Peter J., Luby, Stephen P., Fernald, Lia C. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregivers
Caregiving
Child development
COVID-19
Financial loss
Food security
Freedom of movement
Freedoms
Healthy food
Insecurity
Mental depression
Mental health
Pandemics
Poverty
Special Section
Special Section: The Impact of Covid‐19 on Child Development around the World
Symptoms
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Summary:Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID‐19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement among female caregivers of children 6–27 months (50% female), in rural Bangladesh. A cohort (N = 517) was assessed before and during the pandemic (May–June, 2019 and July–September, 2020). Caregivers who experienced more food insecurity and financial loss during the pandemic reported larger increases in depressive symptoms (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.08–0.44; 0.21 SD, 0.04–0.40) compared to less affected caregivers. Stimulating caregiving and freedom of movement results were inconsistent. Increases in depressive symptoms during the pandemic may have consequences for child development.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.13651