Table 2.
Parent “other” responses to factors influencing parenting difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, categorized by topic
| Category | Responses (n) | Example Quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s schooling | 19 | “No ability for my child to have schooling during this time” “Parenting and having my child do their schoolwork” “My stress has increased due to my child physically attending school” |
| Mental and emotional health | 18 | “Being in the house has become overwhelming” “My child’s distress over not attending school and activities” “My child’s depression over all the change because of COVID-19” |
| Parents’ work or graduate school demands | 14 | “Working from home with children home as well” “Balancing my spouse’s job responsibilities” “A lack of time due to increased school tasks (grad school)” |
| Parents’ time and resource availability | 14 | “Worry about possible lack of food and trying to stay healthy” “A lack of time to attend to my own needs (exercise, hobbies, etc.)” “Juggling all responsibilities at the same time instead of getting dedicated time for different responsibilities” |
| Missing out | 8 | “Senior year of high school and missing so much…” “Missing organized sports” “My child wanting to play at parks with other kids” |
| Children’s behavior or special needs | 6 | “Child’s behavior has gotten worse” “Autism and routine changes” “My child has ADHD and several behavioral issues that have been set backwards. It’s extremely hard to be positive about the regression.” |
| Medical conditions / death | 6 | “Death in the family” “My parents being in the hospital with COVID-19 and also me and my husband. My mother being diagnosed with cancer.” |
| Not seeing extended family | 4 | “Inability to visit grandparents who live nearby” “Lack of support from extended family members due to social isolation” |
| Marital conflict | 3 | “Increased conflict with spouse” “Marital strain” |
Note: These responses were provided when parents selected “other” in response to survey questions that asked about factors influencing parenting difficulties during COVID-19. A single response could fall into more than one category. N=103 “other” responses.