RAPID: How parenting practices influence child safety thoughts and behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

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Parenting practices can help limit the impact of COVID-19 in two key ways. First, parents can support children’s implementation of behaviors to reduce virus spread (e.g., hand washing, social distancing, and self-quarantine). Second, parents can help limit child anxiety (e.g., overseeing and discussing media exposure and providing factual and age appropriate information). By understanding the factors that drive differences in these parenting behaviors, this research can help determine how best to support child and family wellness at a population-level during this challenging time. Differences in parenting are likely related to differences in parent perceptions of the threat of the virus to their family and the extent to which they believe they can take steps to limit this threat. This study will also assess how family socioeconomic characteristics such as income, education, occupation, and health literacy relate to threat and coping perceptions, parenting behaviors, and child outcomes. A nationally representative survey of English and Spanish speaking parents of children aged 6-17 years will address this need with the following aims: (1) describe parenting practices related to COVID-19, (2) determine the extent to which these parenting behaviors are related to differences in parent threat and coping perceptions, and (3) explore and describe the relationship of family socioeconomic characteristics to threat and coping perceptions, child anxiety, and child health behaviors to reduce virus transmission. Results of this study will provide key information about how to target and optimize health communication in the current pandemic context and can identify where structural interventions to address fundamental disparities in social determinants of health may be needed.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.