Parental Anxiety’s Relationship to Children’s Fear and Behaviors During the Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The various restrictions applied during the pandemic have led to children as well as adults and individuals in the role of parents being deprived of social interactions and friendship. For this reason, certain mental and behavioral changes are observable in both parents and children. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship parental anxiety has to children’s fears and behaviors during the pandemic. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive relational study conducted between February and June 2021 in Turkey with 264 children between the ages of 4-10 and their parents. Data were collected using a sociodemographic form, the Children’s Daily Routines During the Pandemic Form, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale-Short Form, and the Child Fear Scale. Numerical, percentage, means, and Pearson correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: Parents’ mean score on the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale-Short Form was 13.29±2.80; children’s mean score on the overall Children’s Fear Scale was 3.35±1.47, and a significant positive relationship was found between them. In addition, a correlation was found between parents’ coronavirus anxiety and children’s fear levels during the pandemic, with positive relationships found among children’s nutritional behavior, body weight change, sleep change, sleeping late, nightmares, increased use of technological devices, arguing with family members, and wanting to play outside the home. Conclusion: The study has determined parents’ coronavirus anxiety levels and children’s fear levels to be above average. The increase in parents’ anxiety about COVID was also found to increase children’s fear levels. Meanwhile, behavioral and emotional differences were determined to have occurred in children during the pandemic.

Keywords

• Pandemic
• parent
• anxiety
• children
• fear

Pandemi Sürecinde Ebeveyn Anksiyetesi ile Çocukların Korku ve Davranışları Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Amaç: Pandemi sürecinde uygulanan çeşitli kısıtlamalar yetişkinler ve ebeveyn rolündeki bireylerin yanı sıra çocuklar için de sosyal etkileşim ve arkadaşlıktan mahrum kalmaya yol açmıştır. Bu nedenle hem ebeveynler hem de çocuklarda bazı ruhsal ve davranışsal değişiklikler gözlenebilir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, pandemi sürecinde ebeveyn anksiyetesi ile çocukların korku ve davranışları arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı, kesitsel ve ilişkisel nitelikteki araştırma, Şubat ve Haziran 2021 tarihlerinde Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinde yaşayan 4-10 yaş arasındaki 264 çocuk ve ebeveyni ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler, Sosyo-demografik ve Pandemi Sürecinde Çocukların Günlük Rutinleri Formu, Koronavirüs Anksiyete Ölçeği Kısa Formu ve Çocuk Korku Ölçeği ile toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde sayı, yüzde, ortalama ve korelasyon analizleri kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Ebeveynlerin Koronavirüs Anksiyete Ölçeği Kısa Formu toplam puan ortalamalarının 13,29±2,80; çocukların Çocuk Korku Ölçeği toplam puan ortalamalarının 3,35±1,47 olduğu ve aralarında pozitif yönde anlamlı ilişki olduğu saptanmıştır. Ayrıca, pandemi sürecinde, ebeveynlerin koronavirüs anksiyetesi ve çocukların korku düzeyleri ile çocukların beslenme düzeni değişikliği, uyku değişikliği, geç saatlerde uyuma, uykuda kabus görme, teknolojik alet kullanma süresi artışı, aile üyeleri ile tartışma ve ev dışında oyun oynama isteği arasında da pozitif yönde ilişki bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada ebeveynlerin koronavirüs anksiyete düzeyleri ve çocukların korku düzeylerinin ortalamanın üstünde olduğu saptanmıştır. Ebeveynlerin koronavirüse dair anksiyete artışı çocukların korku düzeylerini de arttırmaktadır. Bununla birlikte pandemi sürecinde çocuklarda davranışsal ve duygusal farklılıkların olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Keywords

• Pandemi
• ebeveyn
• anksiyete çocuk
• korku

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