Little is known about the enduring effects of stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the parents of very young children from underrepresented backgrounds. In a paper published June 23 in Frontiers in Pediatrics, Mamta Fuloria, M.D., Maureen Charron, Ph.D., and colleagues examined whether exposure to COVID-19-related events, demographic factors, and parental psychological distress as well as resilience were associated with parent-child engagement activities.

Between June 2020 and August 2021, the researchers surveyed 105 parents whose children were scheduled for visits related to the Bronx Mother Baby Health Study. Nearly one third of participants reported food insecurity and nearly half reported housing insecurity. Higher levels of parental psychological distress were associated with higher exposure to COVID-19-related events and food and housing insecurity. The findings support the need for enhanced mental health resources and social supports for families, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Dr. Fuloria is an associate professor of pediatrics at Einstein and a neonatal-perinatal specialist at Montefiore Health System. Dr. Charron is a professor of biochemistry at Einstein.