Inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19-related financial difficulties for Australian families with young children

Socio-Emotional Experiences and Wellbeing of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Their Parents before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Victoria, Australia, were exposed to strict public health restrictions, including sustained lockdowns, during the COVID-19 pandemic. DHH children have higher health and socio-emotional needs than their hearing peers. We aimed to (1) describe the socio-emotional experiences of DHH children and their parents and (2) compare child and parent socio-emotional wellbeing, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May and September 2020, 497 (62%) parents of DHH children from the Victorian Childhood Hearing Longitudinal Databank completed an online survey. Measures were drawn from the CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey (CRISIS) v3.0. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics to compare outcomes before and during the pandemic. Parents reported their children to have more negative socio-emotional wellbeing (mean emotions/worries score, EWS, changed from 0.76 pre-pandemic to 1.10 during the pandemic, mean difference 0.34, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.39), regardless of the type or severity of hearing loss. Parents also had more negative socio-emotional wellbeing (mean EWS changed from 1.05 pre-pandemic to 1.43 during the pandemic, mean difference 0.38, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.44). Negative socio-emotional experiences co-occurred with large social changes during the pandemic. Additional services should support the socio-emotional wellbeing of DHH children during significant adverse childhood experiences.

Associations between ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and the financial and mental health experiences of Australian families

In 2020, Australia's successful COVID-19 public health restrictions comprised a national "initial lockdown" (March-May) and "ongoing lockdown" (July-November) for metropolitan Victorian residents only. We evaluated associations between ongoing lockdown and family finances and mental health. In the June and September 2020 Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Polls, caregivers of children in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) reported the following: job/income loss; material deprivation (inability to pay for essential items); income poverty; mental health (Kessler-6); perceived impact on caregiver/child mental health; and caregiver/child coping. Data from caregivers (N = 1207/902) in June/September were analysed using difference-in-difference modelling (NSW provided the comparator). During Victoria's ongoing lockdown, job/income loss increased by 11% (95%CI: 3%-18%); Kessler-6 poor mental health by 6% (95%CI: -0.3%-12%) and perceived negative mental health impacts by 14% for caregivers (95%CI: 6%-23%) and 12% for children (95%CI: 4%-20%). Female (vs. male) caregivers, metropolitan (vs. regional/rural) families, and families with elementary school-aged children (vs. pre-/high-school) were the most affected. The ongoing lockdown was associated with negative experiences of mental health, employment and income, but not deprivation or poverty, likely because of government income supplements introduced early in the pandemic. Future lockdowns require planned responses to outbreaks and evidence-informed financial and mental health supports.