This study investigated the effects of COVID-19-related social distancing practices on parents and children’s mental health and explored joint parent-child activities and coping strategies among Arab families in Qatar. The sample of 308 parents answered self-reported questionnaires regarding their mental health, coping strategies, activities with their children, social distancing practices, and their children’s mental health. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were carried out. The results showed a significant positive correlation between social distancing and parents’ activities with their children and their coping strategies, as well as between parents’ mental health, activities with their children, children’s mental health, and parents’ coping strategies. Path analysis showed that social distancing practices influence both parents’ and children’s mental health through parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies. Our findings revealed how living under stressful conditions, such as COVID-19, could enhance the mental health of family members.

本研究调查了与 COVID-19 相关的社交距离做法对父母和儿童心理健康的影响，并探讨了卡塔尔阿拉伯家庭的联合亲子活动和应对策略。 308 名家长样本回答了有关心理健康、应对策略、与孩子的活动、社交距离做法以及孩子的心理健康等方面的自我报告问卷。进行了皮尔逊相关系数和结构方程建模。结果显示，社交距离与父母与孩子的活动及其应对策略之间，以及父母的心理健康、与孩子的活动、孩子的心理健康与父母的应对策略之间呈显着正相关。路径分析表明，社交距离做法通过父母与孩子的活动及其应对策略影响父母和孩子的心理健康。我们的研究结果揭示了生活在 COVID-19 等压力条件下如何可以改善家庭成员的心理健康。