Table 3.
Impacts on Children and Families (Those Who Agree or Strongly Agree with Each Statement)
| n | % | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| My child’s overall health and wellbeing has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis | 117 | 58.50 |
| COVID has worsened pre-existing health conditions for my child | 91 | 45.50 |
| COVID has had an impact on my wellbeing | 95 | 47.74 |
| COVID has had an impact on my other children’s wellbeing | 56 | 36.36 |
| Types of support | ||
| My support networks have decreased significantly due to COVID | 97 | 53.01 |
| COVID has disrupted carer supports and services | 79 | 44.89 |
| COVID has disrupted respite arrangements | 52 | 27.08 |
| COVID has significantly disrupted the allied health services my child accesses (eg occupational therapy, speech therapy) | 78 | 74.29 |
| COVID has significantly disrupted my child’s psychological therapy | 42 | 56.00 |
| COVID has significantly disrupted my child’s behavioural therapy | 58 | 70.73 |
| My child has started taking more medication than normal due to the COVID pandemic | 26 | 25.24 |
| My child is taking less medication than usual because of the COVID pandemic | 3 | 3.06 |
| My child’s ability to access specialists has been significantly impacted due to COVID | 52 | 29.21 |
| My ability to organize supports has been significantly impacted due to COVID (eg support workers) | 41 | 28.08 |
| COVID has significantly disrupted my child’s other treatments and supports (eg physiotherapy, OT, speech therapy) | 60 | 64.52 |
| My child’s contacts with people outside of the home have reduced since before the COVID pandemic | 117 | 62.23 |
| Family health | ||
| COVID has significantly disrupted my child’s routines | 138 | 69.00 |
| During the past two weeks, COVID restrictions have been stressful for my child | 93 | 46.97 |
| Home isolation has been stressful for me | 119 | 60.10 |
| Balancing work with childcare/family responsibilities has been difficult for me due to COVID | 74 | 40.00 |
| My pre-existing mental health conditions have been worsened due to COVID | 38 | 32.48 |
| My pre-existing physical health conditions have been worsened due to COVID | 34 | 28.57 |
| My family is feeling worried about COVID | 122 | 61.62 |
| The COVID restrictions have had significant negative effect on my life | 114 | 57.58 |
| The amount of quality time I spend with my child has reduced since before COVID-19 | 14 | 7.07 |
| Changes related to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis have created financial problems for me or my family | 65 | 32.83 |
| The COVID situation has resulted in changes to the employment status of people in my household | 96 | 48.48 |
| I am concerned about the stability of our living situation | 52 | 26.26 |
| I am worried about running out of food due to a lack of money | 21 | 10.61 |
| I am hopeful that the COVID crisis will end soon | 189 | 94.50 |
| I am worried about making it through future periods of isolation | 122 | 61.93 |
| Home based learning | ||
| COVID has prevented my child from attending educational facilities in person (eg childcare, school) | 176 | 90.26 |
| COVID has disrupted my child’s learning | 135 | 68.88 |
| My child has completed home-based learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. | 170 | 87.18 |
| I have adequate access to internet and online resources | 163 | 84.02 |
| My child has adequate capacity to engage in home based learning | 93 | 47.45 |
| I have adequate capacity to support my child’s educational needs | 155 | 79.90 |
| Child behaviours | ||
| My child has experienced reductions in sleep quality as a result of COVID-19 | 37 | 18.69 |
| My child’s exercise has decreased as a result of COVID-19 | 135 | 67.50 |
| My child’s diet has been poorer as a result of COVID-19 | 22 | 11.22 |
| My child’s ability to spend time outside has reduced as a result of COVID. | 161 | 80.90 |
| My child has difficulty following the recommendations for keeping away from close contact with people | 52 | 27.51 |
| My child has had difficulty maintaining relationships as a result of COVID | 83 | 43.23 |
| My child has become easily annoyed, irritable, and angry since the COVID-19 outbreak, compared to before the outbreak | 120 | 60.61 |
| The cancellation of important events (such as holiday, birthday celebration etc.) has been difficult for my family | 52 | 27.96 |
| My child has been watching significantly more TV or digital media (eg, Netflix, YouTube, web surfing) since before COVID | 144 | 73.10 |
| My child has been using significantly more social media (eg, Facetime, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok) since before COVID | 63 | 43.45 |
| My child has been playing significantly more video games since before COVID | 101 | 58.72 |