ABSTRACT

COVID-19 triggered social restrictions worldwide including the shutdown of schools. Whereas research has documented the negative effects on parents’ well-being, less is known about children’s well-being during the pandemic. We investigated the well-being, emotions, and COVID-19-related attitudes of 87 Norwegian elementary children (42 boys, 45 girls; M_age = 9.66 years, SD = 1.77) and their mothers (M_age = 39.69 years; SD = 5.79) in June 2020. Children reported reduced well-being relative to European norms. In line with research on child well-being before the pandemic, living in a one-parent home was associated with lower child well-being and more negative emotions during the pandemic, and mother’s well-being was related to child well-being. Concerning attitudes towards COVID-19-related restrictions, we found a positive relationship between child age and attitudes and between children’s attitudes and well-being. Implications for protecting children from negative effects of the ongoing and future pandemics are discussed.

摘要

COVID-19 在全球范围内引发了社会限制，包括学校停课。尽管研究记录了对父母幸福感的负面影响，但人们对大流行期间儿童的幸福感知之甚少。我们调查了 87 名挪威小学生（42 名男孩，45 名女孩；M_年龄 = 9.66 岁，SD  = 1.77）及其母亲（M_年龄 = 39.69 岁；SD = 5.79）在 2020 年 6 月。与欧洲标准相比，儿童报告的幸福感下降。与大流行前儿童幸福感的研究一致，在大流行期间，住在单亲家庭与儿童幸福感较低和负面情绪较多有关，而母亲的幸福感与儿童幸福感有关。关于对 COVID-19 相关限制的态度，我们发现儿童年龄与态度之间以及儿童态度与幸福感之间存在正相关关系。讨论了保护儿童免受当前和未来流行病的负面影响的影响。