Parents' coping behaviors and mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract Objective To understand how parents of young children coped with stress during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background Families with young children faced substantial stress during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Yet, relatively few studies have examined parents' mental health during the pandemic and the behaviors parents have used to cope with their stress. Method The current study surveyed 199 parents (76% women, M age = 33 years) of children aged 2 to 4 years from across the United States between September and December 2020 about their COVID‐related stress and coping behaviors since stay‐at‐home orders began in March 2020. Results The coping behavior that parents most commonly endorsed was spending time with their children, a strategy that frequently made parents feel better. Successful coping (engaging in behaviors that made parents feel better) was positively associated with better mental health, regardless of parents' COVID‐related stress. Distraction and unsuccessful coping were not significantly associated with parents' mental health as a main effect. However, parents who engaged in more unsuccessful coping under conditions of high COVID‐related stress reported greater symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusion Although the COVID‐19 pandemic presented novel stressors for parents, it also presented new opportunities to spend time with family, which may have helped parents cope with the stress of the pandemic. Implications Young children may be considered an asset in the family system that prompts parents to engage in activities that make them feel better.