Mental Health Distress in Families During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: Theoretical Background: Increased mental health distress in children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported in studies. Aim: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (i. e., 2020 – 2021), we examined a help-seeking sample for child distress and the associations with parent distress, quality of life, and COVID-19-specific factors, aiming to describe families seeking help. Method: We conducted an online survey in help-seeking families ( N = 169, children aged 5 – 17 years). Results: Children’s anxiety and depression did not exceed clinical cutoffs but quality of life did. Only parental and child depressiveness were related. Child emotion regulation was shown to be the only relevant predictor of child anxiety, depressive symptoms, and quality of life, whereas no parental or COVID-19-related factors reached significance. Discussion and Conclusion: Specifics of our help-seeking sample differed from other COVID-19 studies, highlighting the relevance of taking a closer look at specific samples to provide custom-fit support.