Changes in Family Dynamics and Adolescent Adjustment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Translational Issues in Psychological Science

DOI

10.1037/tps0000393

Abstract

In this longitudinal study, we examined how adolescents’ family relationships and daily family dynamics changed during the pandemic and how these changes were associated with changes in their psychological well-being and sleep over time. Forty-three adolescents (Mage = 17.03 years) completed a survey and a 2-week daily checklist before and during the pandemic (M = 10.68 months between the two time points). On the survey, adolescents reported on their feelings of family emotional security, parental support, and perceived stress. Additionally, each day for 2 weeks, adolescents reported on family stressors that occurred, their engagement in family assistance tasks, and their feelings of distress. Participants also reported on their sleep duration and sleep quality each morning on the daily checklists. Findings indicated that adolescents perceived lower levels of family emotional security and parental support during the pandemic. The frequency of daily family stressors and adolescents’ engagement in family assistance did not change during the pandemic. Decreases in parental support were associated with higher levels of perceived stress, and increases in family assistance tasks were associated with greater feelings of daily distress, thereby suggesting that declines in parental support and increased family responsibilities were stressful for adolescents. However, spending more time assisting the family was associated with less sleep variability, which may suggest that spending more time assisting the family may have provided adolescents with a meaningful routine that was conducive for their sleep. Implications on the importance of family support and family routines for adolescent adjustment are discussed in this study.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic, emotional well-being, family dynamics, family routines, sleep

Department

Child and Adolescent Development

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