Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences on Child Health and Well-Being

Tolu Arowolo; Adeola Animasahun; Kesha Baptiste-Roberts; Yvonne Bronner

doi:10.1007/s40653-023-00517-1

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences on Child Health and Well-Being

J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2023 Feb 13;17(1):1-10. doi: 10.1007/s40653-023-00517-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tolu Arowolo¹, Adeola Animasahun¹, Kesha Baptiste-Roberts¹, Yvonne Bronner¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Public Health, School of Community Health & Policy, Morgan State University, 4530 Portage Ave Campus, Ste 211 1700 E Cold Spring Lane, 21251 Baltimore, MD USA.

Abstract

Family responses to crises such as COVID-19 are driven by parents' experiences. Parental history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might play an important role in predicting resilience, coping capacity, and parenting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disruption on child health and well-being as influenced by the previous history of ACEs in the parents. Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsychInfo were searched for peer-reviewed articles using the keywords "COVID-19", "Parents or Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences", and "child health" or "child well-being". Data were extracted using a literature review matrix template. Title, abstract, and full article-level reviews were conducted by two reviewers. The association between COVID-19 disruption, negative parenting, and child behavioral and emotional problems was stronger for parents with younger children with a history of high ACE scores. Parents with high ACE scores were more likely to cope poorly with childcare duties and engage in child neglect, verbal abuse, and reduced feeding frequency, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review findings support the framework of inadequate resilience and coping skills of adults with a history of ACEs during periods of stress and unpredictability such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative effects of these parental stressors on a child's health and well-being are modifiable and could be mitigated by targeted interventions. Trauma-informed care should be adopted to contribute to optimum child health.

Keywords: COVID-19; Child health; Child well-being; Parental adverse childhood experiences.

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