Psychological impact of Covid-19 pandemic in Italian families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Arianna Bentenuto, Noemi Mazzoni, Michele Giannotti and 2 others
PMID 33383468WHAT IT FOUND
Lockdown increased parental stress and child behavioral problems in families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Reduced therapy hours predicted worse child behavior. However, most parents valued the extra time with their child, and stable coparenting buffered stress.
Key findings
01Parental stress and child externalizing behaviors increased during lockdown compared to before, with levels remaining higher in families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) than in families of typically developing children.
02In the NDD group, a reduction in therapeutic support during lockdown was significantly associated with an increase in children's externalizing behaviors.
03The quality of coparenting remained stable during lockdown and moderated the link between time spent with the child and parental stress, buffering stress in families with high coparenting quality.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used a cross-sectional design with retrospective self-reports, so it cannot prove causation. Data relied entirely on parent reports, which may be biased by the parents' own psychological distress. Specific details about the type of therapy received (e.g., OT vs. SLP vs. behavioral) were not collected, so the effect of losing specific disciplines cannot be isolated. The study did not include follow-up data to see if these effects persisted after lockdown.
Declared interests
The authors report no declarations of interest. Funding was provided by the Municipality of Rovereto and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all parents experienced the lockdown negatively. While stress and behavioral issues increased statistically, a quarter of parents of children with NDD reported the increased time with their child as a positive opportunity to strengthen the relationship. Clinical support should validate this dual experience of burden and benefit.