Mothers’ Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Family Communication and Children’s Play

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 19 - 52, 29.04.2024

Ayşın Noyan Erbaş , Gamze Bilir Seyhan , İrem Gürgah Oğul

https://doi.org/10.58563/dkyad-2024.71.2

Abstract

Purpose: The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, which has been effective worldwide, and the resulting 'social distance' and hygiene measures have led to changes in family communication behaviors and children's daily life activities. The current study aimed to reveal the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on family communication and play behavior of young children.

Method: In this study, which was conducted as a qualitative study, phenomenology was used. The study examined mothers' perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family communication and children's play in Türkiye. A focus group discussion was held with a group of five mothers who had young children between the ages of 30 and 40 months.

Results: As a result of the analysis of the data obtained, three main themes emerged. These themes are listed as follows: (i) children's perception of COVID-19, (ii) the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on family communication (iii) and the impact of the epidemic on children's play and play materials. It has been determined that pandemic restrictions have positive and negative effects on family communication and children's play.

Conclusion: This research has revealed that the COVID-19 epidemic, which has affected the whole world, affects parents, children and their communication styles, as well as children's play behavior. Findings have shown that family life practices, children's behavior, and parents' mental health are both negatively and positively affected by periods of isolation due to the pandemic. It is thought that these research findings may help find effective ways to protect and improve the communication of children and families during the global epidemic and recovery processes.

Keywords

children, family, covid-19, parent-child communication, children's play, play behaviours

Annelerin COVID-19'un Aile İçi İletişim ve Çocukların Oyunları Üzerindeki Etkisine İlişkin Algıları

Abstract

Özet
Amaç: Dünya çapında uzun süre boyunca etkili olan Koronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) salgını ve bunun sonucunda ortaya çıkan 'sosyal mesafe ve hijyen tedbirleri aile içi iletişim davranışlarında ve çocukların günlük yaşam faaliyetlerinde değişimlere yol açmıştır. Mevcut çalışmada COVID-19 salgınının aile içi iletişime ve küçük çocukların oyun davranışlarına etkisini ortaya çıkarmak amaçlanmıştır. Bu çalışma literatürdeki bazı boşluklara odaklanmaktadır. Bu boşluklar şu şekilde sıralanabilir: İlk olarak, COVID-19 pandemisinin psikolojik sonuçlarını araştırmak amacıyla yapılan çoğu çalışma, çocukların oyunu üzerindeki etkileri göz ardı etmiştir. Bu çalışma, annelerin algılarına göre çocukların aile iletişimi ve oyun davranışlarına odaklanmıştır. İkinci olarak bu çalışma, pandeminin erken dönemine ilişkin annelerin deneyimleri aracılığıyla aile iletişimini incelemiştir. Üçüncü olarak, COVID-19'un aile hayatı üzerindeki uzun vadeli etkilerini araştırmak için birçok çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma ise pandeminin küçük çocukların oynadıkları oyunlar üzerindeki etkisini araştıran ilk çalışmalardan biridir ve aynı zamanda Türkiye'deki COVID-19 pandemisinin erken dönemlerinde ebeveynler ve çocuklar arasındaki ilişkinin doğasını da sunmaktadır.

Yöntem: Nitel bir çalışma olarak yürütülmüş olan bu çalışmada fenomenolojiden yararlanılmıştır. Çalışmada, annelerin, Türkiye'de COVID-19 salgınının aile içi iletişim ve çocukların oyunları üzerindeki etkisine ilişkin algıları incelenmiştir. Yaşları 30 ila 40 ay arasında küçük çocukları olan beş anneden oluşan bir grupla odak grup görüşmesi yürütülmüştür. Çalışma kapsamında veri toplama aracı olarak araştırmacılar tarafından bir odak grup görüşme formu geliştirilmiştir.

Bulgular: Elde edilen verilerin analizi sonucunda üç ana temaya ulaşılmıştır. Bu temalar şu şekilde sıralanmaktadır: (i) çocukların COVID-19'u algılayışı, (ii) COVID-19 salgınının aile iletişimi üzerindeki etkisi (iii) ve salgının çocukların oyun ve oyun materyalleri üzerindeki etkisi. Pandemi kısıtlamalarının aile iletişimi ve çocukların oyunları üzerinde olumlu ve olumsuz etkileri olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, katılımcıların doğrudan ifadeleriyle desteklenerek bulgular alt problemler ışığında sunulmuştur.

Sonuç: Yürütülmüş olan bu araştırma, tüm dünyayı etkisi altına alan COVID-19 salgınının çocukların oyun davranışlarının yanı sıra ebeveynleri, çocukları ve onların iletişim şekillerini de etkilediğini ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bulgular, aile yaşamı uygulamalarının, çocukların davranışlarının ve ebeveynlerin zihinsel sağlığının, pandemi nedeniyle yaşanan tecrit dönemlerinden hem olumsuz hem de olumlu şekilde etkilendiğini göstermiştir. Bu araştırma bulgularının küresel salgın ve iyileşme süreçleri sırasında çocukların ve ailelerin iletişimini korumak ve geliştirmek için etkili yolların bulunmasına yardımcı olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışma, pandeminin çocukların oyunları üzerindeki etkisini sadece annelerin görüşleri aracılığıyla incelemiştir. Bu nedenle, gelecekteki çalışmalar babaları ve çocukları da içerebilir. Yapılacak olan boylamsal bir araştırma pandemi sonrası aile yaşamını daha iyi anlamaya yardımcı olabilir. Ayrıca, ebeveyn görüşmelerinin ötesinde ek veri toplama araçlarının kullanılması bulguların derinliğini artırabilir ve pandeminin çocukların iletişim ve oyun davranışları üzerindeki belirli yönlerine daha kapsamlı bir bakış sunabilir.

Keywords

çocuk, aile, covid-19, ebeveyn-çocuk iletişimi, çocuk oyunları, oyun davranışları

References

• Alimoradi, Z., Broström, A., Tsang, H. W., Griffiths, M. D., Haghayegh, S., Ohayon, M. M., Lin, C. Y. & Pakpour, A. H. (2021). Sleep problems during COVID-19 pandemic and its’ association to psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis. E-Clinical Medicine, 36, 10091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100916
• Bai, R., Wang, Z., Liang, J., Qi, J. ve He, X. (2020). The effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on children’s behavior and parents’ mental health in China: A research study. Research Square 2020. https://doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-22686/v1
• Barnett, L. A. (2013). Children’s perceptions of their play: Scale development and validation. Child Development Research, 2013, 284741, https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/284741.
• Baş, T. & Akturan, U. (2008). Qualitative research methods: Qualitative data analaysis with Nvivo 7.0 [Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri Nvivo 7.0 ile Nitel Veri Analizi]. Seçkin Yayıncılık.
• Başaran, M., & Aksoy, A. (2020). Anne-babaların korona-virüs (Covid-19) salgını sürecinde aile yaşantılarına ilişkin görüşleri. The Journal of International Social Research, 13(71), 668-678.
• Brooks, S., Webster, R., Smith, L., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., ve Rubin, G. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920. https://doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30460-8.
• Cassinat, J. R., Whiteman, S. D., Serang, S., Dotterer, A. M., Mustillo, S. A., Maggs, J. L., ve Kelly, B. C. (2021). Changes in family chaos and family relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from a longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 57(10), 1597-1610. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001217.
• Chanchlani, N., Buchanan, F., ve Gill, P. (2020). Addressing the indirect effects of COVID-19 on the health of children and young people. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 192(32), E921-E927. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.201008 Charney, S., Camarata, S. & Chern, A. (2020). Potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communication and language skills in children. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 165(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820978247
• Chiu, N. C., Chi, H., Tai, Y. L., Peng, C. C., Tseng, C. Y., Chen, C. C., ... ve Lin, C. Y. (2020). Impact of wearing masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing on influenza, enterovirus, and all-cause pneumonia during the coronavirus pandemic: Retrospective national epidemiological surveillance study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e21257.
• Cope, D. (2014). Methods and meanings: Credibility and trustworthiness of qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(1), 89- 91. https://doi.org/10.1188/14.ONF.89-91
• Cray, K. (2020, April 2). ‘Coronavirus Tag’ and Other Games Kids Play in a Pandemic. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-tag-and-other-games-kids-play-during-a-pandemic/609253/
• Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications.
• Creswell, J. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson Education.
• Davenport, M., Meyer, S., Meah, V., Strynadka, M. & Khurana, R. (2020). Moms are not ok: COVID-19 and maternal mental health. Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, 1(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2020.00001 Dockery, M. & Bawa, S. (2020). Working from home in the COVID-19 lockdown. Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre 2020.
• Egan, S., Pope, J., Moloney, M., Hoyne, C. ve Beatty, C. (2021). Missing early education and care during the pandemic: The socio-emotional impact of the COVID-19 crisis on young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49, 925-934. https://doi: 10.1007/s10643-021-01193-2
• Ekiz, D. (2009). Scientific research methods [Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri]. Anı Yayıncılık. Elias, C. & Berk, L., (2002). Self-regulation in young children: Is there a role for sociodramatic play? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17(2), 216-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2006(02)00146-1
• Feinberg, M. E., A Mogle, J., Lee, J. K., Tornello, S. L., Hostetler, M. L., Cifelli, J. A., ... ve Hotez, E. (2022). Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on parent, child, and family functioning. Family Process, 61(1), 361-374.
• Fromm-Reichmann, F. (1959). Loneliness. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 22, 1–15. Hall, F. (1998). Social deprivation of neonatal, adolescent, and adult rats has distinct neurochemical and behavioral consequences. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology, 12, 129–162. https://doi.org/10.1615/critrevneurobiol.v12.i1-2.50
• Hennink, M. & Kaiser, B. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292(1982), 114523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
• Huang, C. Y., & Tsai, W. (2023). Asian American parents’ experiences of stress, discrimination, and mental health during COVID-19. Families, Systems, & Health, 41(1), 68–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000715 Huebener, M., Spieß, C., Siegel, N., ve Wagner, G. (2020). ‘Wohlbefinden von Familien in Zeiten von Corona: Eltern mit jungen Kindern am stärksten beeinträchtigt’, DIW Wochenbericht. https://doi.org/10.18723/DIW_WB:2020-30-1
• Husserl, E. (2012). Ideas: General introduction to phenomenology. Routledge.
• Janssen, L., Kullberg, M., Verkuil, B., van Zwieten, N., Wever, M. ve Van Houtum, L. (2020). Does the COVID-19 pandemic impact parents’ and adolescents’ well-being? An EMA-study on daily affect and parenting. Plos One, 15(10), e0240962. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240962
• Jones, T. & Prinz, R. (2005). Potential roles of parental self-efficacy in parent and child adjustment: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 25(3), 341–363. https://doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.12.004
• Kotlar, B., Gerson, E., Petrillo, S., Langer, A. ve Tiemeier, H. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal health: A scoping review. Reproductive Health, 18(1), 1-39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01070-6
• Kourti, A., Stavridou, A., Panagouli, E., Psaltopoulou, T., Toslia, M., Sergentanis, T. ve Tsitsika, A. (2021). Play behaviors in children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A review of the literature. Children, 8, 706-723.
• Larsen, L., Helland M.S., ve Holt T. (2022). The impact of school closure and social isolation on children in vulnerable families during COVID-19: a focus on children's reactions. Europe Child Adolescent Psychiatry. 31(8):1-11. doi: 10.1007/s00787-021-01758-x. Epub 2021 Mar 26. PMID: 33770275; PMCID: PMC7996117.
• Le, Y., Mogle, J. A., ve Feinberg, M. E. (2023). Trajectories of parent and child well‐being across the pandemic year: Role of financial strain, social distancing, and COVID‐19 prevalence. Family Process, 62(3), 1134-1146.
• LeCompte, M., & Goetz, J. (1982). Problems of reliability and validity in ethnographic research. Review of Educational Research, 52(1), 31-60.
• Lee, J. (2020). Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(6), 421. https://doi: 10. 1016/s2352-4642 (20) 30109-7.
• Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327. https://doi:10.4103/2249-4863.161306
• Loades, M., Chatburn, E., Higson-Sweeney, N., Reynolds, S., Shafran, R. ve Brigden, A. (2020). Rapid systematic review: The impact of social isolation and loneliness on the mental health of children and adolescents in the context of COVID-19. Journal of The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(11), 1218-1239.e3. https://doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.009
• Lu, J., Zhang, M., ve Yuan, M. (2023) Parenting and parent–child home practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case in central China. Sci Rep 13, 18655. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45726-8
• Marchetti, D., Fontanesi, L., Mazza, C., Di Giandomenico, S., Roma, P., ve Verrocchio, M. C. (2020). Parenting-related exhaustion during the Italian COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45(10), 1114-1123. https:// doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa093.
• Marks, L. D., Dollahite, D. C., Kelley, H. H., Kimball, E. R., ve James, S. (2023). Exploring Influences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Communication: Negative, Positive, or Both?. Marriage & Family Review, 59(2), 121-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2023.2170014.
• McKinsey Global Institute (2020). COVID-19 and gender equality: Countering the regressive effects. McKinsey & Company.
• Miles, M., & Huberman, A. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). Sage Ltd.
• Moore, S., Faulkner, G., ve Rhodes, R. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth: a national survey. International Journal of Behavior Nutrition Physical Activity, 17, 85https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00987-8
• Neuman, L. (2007). Social research methods, 6/E. Pearson Education India.
• Novick, A., Levandowski, M., Laumann, L., Philip, N., Price, L. ve Tyrka, A. (2018). The effects of early life stress on reward processing. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 101, 80–103. https://doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.02.002
• Öngören, S. (2021). The pandemic period and the parent-child relationship. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 8(1), 94-110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.800990
• Özyürek, A., & Çetinkaya, A. (2021). COVID-19 pandemi döneminde aile ve ebeveyn-çocuk ilişkilerinin incelenmesi. Çağ Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 18(1), 96-106.
• Patrick, S. W., Henkhaus, L. E., Zickafoose, J. S., Lovell, K., Halvorson, A., Loch, S., ... ve Davis, M. M. (2020). Well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey. Pediatrics, 146(4), e2020016824. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-016824
• Scarlett, W. G., Naudeau, S., Salonius-Pasternak, D., ve Ponte, I. (2004). Children’s play. Sage Publications. Schrodt, P. (2005). Family communication schemata and the circumplex model of family functioning. Western Journal of Communication, 69(4), 359-376. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570310500305539.
• Sáenz-Herrero, M., López-Atanes, M., ve Recio-Barbero, M. (2020). Female corporality, gender roles, and their influence on women’s mental health in times of COVID-19. Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, 1, 563209. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2020.563209
• Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers College Press.
• Singh, S., Roy, D., Sinha, K., Parveen, S., Sharma, G. ve Joshi, G. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on mental health of children and adolescents: A narrative review with recommendations. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113429. https://doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.11349
• Slezackova, A., & Sobotkova, I. (2017). Family resilience: Positive psychology approach to healthy family functioning. In U. Kumar (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of psychosocial resilience (pp. 379–390). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
• Spinelli, M., Lionetti, F., Pastore, M., ve Fasolo, M. (2020). Parents’ stress and children’s psychological problems in families facing the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Frontiers of Psychology, 11, 1713. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01713
• Sriharan, A., Ratnapalan, S., Tricco, A., Lupea, D., Ayala, A., Pang, H., ve Lee, D. (2020). Occupational stress, burnout, and depression in women in healthcare during COVID-19 pandemic: Rapid scoping review. Frontier Global Women’s Health, 1, 596690. https://doi:10.3389/fgwh.2020.596690.
• Suna, H., Emin, M., ve Eroğlu, E. (2022). Yüz yüze eğitime dönüşte 180 gün 180 days to return to face-to-face education. Ministry of Education Publication.
• Susilowati, E., & Azzasyofia, M. (2020). The parents stress level in facing children study from home in the early of covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. International Journal of Science and Society, 2(3), 1-12.
• Szabo, T. G., Richling, S., Embry, D. D., Biglan, A., ve Wilson, K. G. (2020). From helpless to hero: Promoting values-based behavior and positive family interaction in the midst of Covid-19. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(3), 568-576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00431-0.
• Tomova, L., Wang, K., ve Thompson, T. (2020). Acute social isolation evokes midbrain craving responses similar to hunger. Nature Neuroscience, 23, 1597–1605. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-020-00742-z.
• Torres González, C., Galindo Aldana, G., Ibza America García León, I., Padilla-López, L., Alvarez Núñez, D. ve Espinoza Gutiérrez, Y. (2020). COVID-19 voluntary social isolation and its effects in sociofamily and children’s behavior. Salud Mental, 43, 263–271.
• United Nations (2020). Policy brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on women. https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/report/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women-en-1.pdf
• Walsh, F. (2020). Loss and resilience in the time of COVID-19: Meaning making, hope, and transcendence. Family Process, 59, 898–911. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12588.
• Wang, J., Lloyd-Evans, B., Giacco, D., Forsyth, R., Nebo, C., Mann, F., ve Johnson, S. (2017). Social isolation in mental health: A conceptual and methodological review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(12), 1451-1461. https://doi: 10.1007/s00127-017-1446-1
• Westman, S. & Bergmark, U. (2014). A strengthened teaching mission in preschool: teachers' experiences, beliefs and strategies. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(1), 73-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2013.809653
• World Health Organisation [WHO] COVID-19 Dashboard. (2024). COVID-19 Dashboard. https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths?n=c
• World Health Organisation [WHO] (2020a). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report –77. https://www.who.int/docs/default source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200406-sitrep-77-COVID-19.pdf?sfvrsn=21d1e632_2
• World Health Organisation [WHO] (2020b). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: WHO characterizes COVID-19 as a pandemic. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen
• World Health Organisation. (2020c). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128
• Xiang, M., Zhang, Z., ve Kuwahara, K. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents’ lifestyle behavior larger than expected. Progress In Cardiovascular Diseases, 63(4), 531-532. https://doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2020.04.013
• Xie, X., Xue, Q., Zhou, Y., Zhu, K., Liu, Q., Zhang, J., ve Song, R. (2020). Mental health status among children in home confinement during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak in Hubei Province, China. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(9), 898. https://doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1619