Early pandemic impacts on family environments that shape childhood development and health: A Canadian study.
Jessie-Lee D McIsaac, De-Lawrence Lamptey, Jane Harley and 5 others
PMID 35997511WHAT IT FOUND
Pandemic work and income changes reshaped family routines.
Some parents with more time reported more supportive home environments, but essential workers reported lower ratings, and the links explained only a small share of family environment scores.
Key findings
01The survey analysed 2158 families with a child aged 0 to 8 years in the Maritime provinces.
02On the 100-point family environment scale, participants who stopped working but kept salary had predicted scores 4.01 points higher, participants who worked fewer hours for the same salary had predicted scores 3.29 points higher, and essential workers had predicted scores 1.37 points lower.
03The models explained only about 6% of variation in family environment scores, and open-ended responses described themes of employment and income change, difficulty finding time, guilt, and new routines.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The survey was online and recruited through social media and family organizations, so it may overrepresent families already connected to those channels. Most respondents were mothers, co-parenting, European descent, higher income, and living in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, so fathers, single parents, lower-income families, and other provinces are not well represented. The family environment scale was made for this survey and lacked criterion validity, so scores may not measure exactly what they were intended to measure. The regression models explained only about 6% of variation in family environment scores, so employment and income changes were not strong predictors. The study was cross-sectional during the first wave, so it describes associations and experiences at one time, not lasting effects on child development.
Declared interests
The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest. Government and health authority partners contributed to survey design.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these links as proof that changing work hours caused better child development. The survey was cross-sectional, family environments were self-reported, and the models explained only about 6% of variation.