Children's anxiety and parenting self-efficacy during the COVID-19-related home confinement

"Trying to remain calm…but I do reach my limit sometimes": An exploration of the meaning of gentle parenting

Raising young children has always been hard, but evidence suggests that it may be getting harder. The isolation of the pandemic, the pressures to fulfill exacting parenting standards, and the explosion of "expert" parenting advice on social media have fueled the rise of "gentle parenting," an approach that pivots away from older, discipline-heavy parenting typologies and which promises the development of happier, healthier children. Despite the popularity of gentle parenting, it has received no empirical scrutiny. The current study represents the first systematic investigation of what gentle parenting entails. Data were gathered from a sample (N = 100) of parents of at least one child between the ages of 2 and 7 from the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest. Approximately half (n = 49) of the sample identified as "gentle parents." Inductive analyses identified this approach as one that emphasizes high levels of parental affection and parents' and children's emotion regulation. Gentle parenting appears to be distinct from other established measures of parenting approaches in its emphasis on boundaries, yet the enactment of those boundaries is not uniform. Overall, gentle parents reported high levels of parenting satisfaction and efficacy, but a subset of gentle parents who were highly critical of themselves reported significantly lower levels of efficacy than the rest of the sample. Statements of parenting uncertainty and burnout were present in over one-third of the gentle parent sample. Implications are discussed for future research and increased support for those who identify as gentle parents.

Anxiety, self-efficacy, and their determinants in school students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey in Southeastern Iran

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to various psychological disorders, including anxiety, particularly among the general public. It is crucial to monitor the mental health of school students, who are considered a vulnerable group in society, and assess their self-efficacy, as it can significantly affect their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the levels of anxiety and self-efficacy among school students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling to examine a sample of 335 school students from Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran. An online questionnaire, distributed through social media platforms, was used to collect data. The questionnaire included demographic information, COVID-19 related items, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-MASC, and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children-SEQ-C. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS version 24, with a significance level set at < 0.05.

RESULTS

The study revealed a significant negative correlation between children's anxiety and self-efficacy (r = -0.23, P < 0.001). Several factors were identified as predictors of anxiety, including low self-efficacy (β = -0.29, P < 0.001), female gender (β = 0.27, P < 0.001), concern about family members contracting COVID-19 (β = 0.18, P < 0.001), persistent advice of others to adopt preventive measures (β = 0.14, P < 0.005), level of education (β = -0.12, P < 0.017), and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection (β = -0.11, P < 0.030). These variables collectively accounted for 17% of the variance in anxiety.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the study highlight the importance of addressing the mental health of school students, specifically their anxiety levels, during epidemics. The results also indicate that enhancing self-efficacy among students during a pandemic could be a beneficial strategy for promoting their mental health.

Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Children's Psychosocial Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Background The impact of COVID-19 on children is a vital topic to cover since the quarantine lasted for months, and limited research explored this effect locally in Arab countries. We studied the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the psychosocial well-being of children aged 1-18 years who were living in Saudi Arabia during the time of the pandemic. Method A total of 387 participants' responses were collected using online questionnaires (valid and reliable) composed of three sections with open and close-ended questions by the child's legal guardians. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia and targeted children aged 1-18 years of both genders using a convenience sampling technique. One questionnaire assessed the child's behavior and sleep pattern, while the other evaluated child's activity and social skills. We analyzed the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Half of the children were 1-6 years (196; 50.6%), and the caregivers of more than half (225; 58.2%) were mothers. Two-thirds (234; 60.5%) of the children were male. Apart from a poor appetite for food and eating (non-nutritional) junk food, which was not significant (p-value > 0.05), all other factors, behavior, sleep patterns, activity, and social skills, all other factors were significantly affected by COVID-19 (p<0.05). Conclusion This study found that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on children's psychosocial well-being. It is recommended to implement actions that aim to enhance the ability of children to cope with challenges.

Pandemic and precocious puberty - a Google trends study

BACKGROUND

Recent publications from several countries have reported that more young people (mainly girls) are experiencing precocious puberty (PP)/menarche during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to the past. This variation is attributed to the stress of confinement, lack of exercise, obesity and disturbed sleep patterns. A common feature of the relevant papers, however, is the small number of reported cases of PP. Studies have shown that searches for diseases on the internet also reflect to some extent the epidemiology of these diseases.

AIM

To estimate, through internet searches for PP, any changes in the epidemiology of PP.

METHODS

We assessed in Google Trends searches for 21 PP-related terms in English internationally (which practically dwarf searches in other languages), in the years 2017-2021. Additionally, we assessed local searches for selected terms, in English and local languages, in countries where a rise in PP has been reported. Searches were collected in Relative Search Volumes format and analyzed using Kendall’s Tau test, with a statistical significance threshold of P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Internationally, searches for three PP-related terms showed no noticeable change over the study period, while searches for eight terms showed a decrease. An increase was found over time in searches for nine PP-related terms. Of the 17 searches in English and local languages, in countries where a rise in PP has been reported, 5 showed a significant increase over time.

CONCLUSION

Over the study period, more than half of the search terms showed little change or declined. The discrepancy between internet searches for PP and the reported increase in the literature is striking. It would be expected that a true increase in the incidence of PP would also be aptly reflected in Google trends. If our findings are valid, the literature may have been biased. The known secular trend of decreasing age of puberty may also have played a role.