Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 school closures on long-term adjustment in youth with or at risk for disability

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7. Project Summary/Abstract This application investigates the long-term impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures on child and parent outcomes in a large and diverse sample of children and families recruited from Oregon and California. The proposed study will draw from four existing federally funded prospective longitudinal studies investigating the development of child emotional and behavior problems and related parenting experiences among preschool and school aged children with and without developmental disabilities (DD; R01HD059838, R01HD093667, R21MH114075, R324A180037). The targeted sample will include 613 children, ages 4–15 years, their caregivers, and their teachers who have been previously recruited and enrolled in separate studies. Two of the four studies are randomized controlled trials in which parents received behavioral parent training intervention to improve parent adjustment and child emotional and behavioral problems in youth with (n = 257) and without DD (n = 356). This application proposes to continue to follow these study cohorts over a period of three years and collect six additional assessments (Fall/Spring) of child and parent outcomes to assess long-term impact of pandemic-related school closures on children and families. We will employ harmonized data across the four related developmental prospective and experimental studies to estimate and describe growth in child emotional and behavioral problems and parenting adjustment across three specific COVID-19 school closure phases using piecewise growth model periods: (a) Pre-school closure, (b) During school closure, and (c) Post-school closure. We will employ cohort-sequential missing data models with propensity score matching of independent studies, study cohorts, and intervention conditions to compare estimated prospective school closure phases. We will test the impact of perceived COVID-related stress on the growth of child emotional and behavior problems and parenting adjustment across the three specific COVID19 school closure phases and test whether behavioral parent training intervention serves as a buffer to COVID- related stress impacts on child emotional and behavior problems and parenting adjustment. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly impacted children, families, and educators in important ways, notably through loss of educational services, economic and financial loss, illness or risk of illness, and stress and mental health impacts. The extent to which these impacts affect long-term outcomes is unknown. Focusing on the long-term impacts of pandemic-related school closures is a significant public health issue with implications for both policy and intervention practices. Our sample is racially, ethnically, economically, and geographically diverse providing additional generalizability of our findings. This proposal draws on our existing strengths in conducting longitudinal intervention and prevention trials with children and youth with or at-risk for disability, our longstanding collaborations, and the complementary expertise of the investigator team.