Impact of stress and decision fatigue on parenting practices related to food and physical activity during COVID-19.
Harrison D Angoff, Lauren A Dial, Fresno State and 3 others
PMID 36082764WHAT IT FOUND
Most parents reported positive changes in food and activity habits during the pandemic.
However, high stress predicted less positive change, but only for parents who also reported increased decision fatigue. Stress alone did not predict worse habits if decision fatigue remained low.
Key findings
01A larger proportion of parents reported more positive (57.14%) than negative (22.86%) behaviour changes during COVID-19.
02Higher levels of perceived stress predicted less positive behaviour change overall.
03The negative link between stress and behaviour change was significant only for parents with average or high increases in decision fatigue; no effect emerged for those with below-average decision fatigue.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (140 participants) and lacked diversity, being predominantly White, female, married, and from middle-to-upper income brackets. The findings may not generalize to lower-income families who experienced different pandemic stressors. The study used a novel, non-exhaustive checklist designed specifically for this study, which may not capture all relevant behaviours. The design is cross-sectional and relies on retrospective self-report, so it cannot establish causality or confirm actual behaviour changes versus perceived changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest or external funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that stress directly causes poor parenting habits. The study found that stress only predicted less positive behaviour changes when parents also experienced high decision fatigue. If decision fatigue was low, stress did not significantly impact these specific health behaviours.