From Parent's COVID-19 Stress to Children and Young People's Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Parental Burnout and the Buffering Role of Parenting Behaviors

Abstract

Coronavirus has caused a global pandemic, and its adverse effects have spread to both adults and children. This study explores the mediating role of parental burnout in the relationship between parents’ COVID-19 stress (PCS) and children's behavior problems and whether this mediating process is moderated by parenting behaviors. Participants included 692 Vietnamese parents (M_age = 36.82, SD = 5.548 years) selected through an online survey. Participants completed questionnaires including demographic information, PCS, parental burnout, parenting behaviors, and children and youth's behavior problems. The main findings include: (a) PCS had no direct association with children and youth's behavior problems; (b) parental burnout played a mediating role in the relationship between PCS and children and youth's behavior problems; (c) the direct association of PCS with parental burnout was moderated by parenting behaviors. Findings from this study showed that PCS did not affect parental burnout in families with highly positive parental support. In contrast, in families with highly negative parental behavioral control, COVID-19 stress positively correlated with parental burnout. This study's results have implications for the development of interventions in family settings during the uncertain days of the COVID-19 pandemic or other contexts that might happen in the future and that pose similar challenges in order to improve the mental health of parents and children.