Burden of COVID-19 infection control among parents with adolescents in relation to healthcare factors

Although the pandemic was adequately managed in Japan, mental health problems, such as school refusal and obesity, continue to increase among adolescents and adults in Japan. This study focuses on how health locus of control (HLOC) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and dietary style may have impacted COVID-19 infection control and their role in the continuation of psychological burden and exhaustion. Specifically, it looks at how pre-pandemic healthcare and parenting styles influenced the burden of COVID-19 infection control through diet and were associated with depressed mood and overeating tendencies in parents of adolescents and young adults. In December 2022, this study was focused on pre-pandemic dietary habits, health management, and parent–child communication and a web survey was conducted among 908 parents with children in junior to senior high school living in metropolitan areas with a population of more than 1 million to determine their depressive mood and tendency to overeat. The results revealed that mothers had a higher burden of COVID-19 infection control than fathers in all three periods, although the fathers’ burden of infection control was more strongly associated with their depressive mood and tendency to overeat from 2020 to 2022. With regard to the HLOC, internal attribution type was negatively associated with infection control fatigue in both fathers and mothers. The attribution style “family” was associated with increased family bonding during the pandemic, whereas both fathers and mothers were more sensitive to food safety, increasing the burden of infection control.