Parent Anxiety in a COVID-19 World

Okay, let’s be real... The past 21 months have been nothing short of a whirlwind that’s spinning uncontrollably and just when you think you’ve made it out of the storm, you get pummeled with more chaos, anxiety, screaming kids, stress, loneliness, angry mother-in-laws, lower activity levels, depression, confusion and a whole lot of other not-so-good stuff.

To better explain the storm, a team of researchers at the University of Calgary, McMormack et al. (2020), surveyed 345 parents from Calgary who have children aged 5-17 years of age. The purpose of the study was to observe parent anxiety brought on by the pandemic, children’s physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. After participants completed an online questionnaire, it became apparent that 36% of parents felt like Covid-19 had made them extremely or very anxious (para. 2).

Knowing that the pandemic disrupted many previous normal routines, parents noted changed behaviours amongst their children such as a 60% increase in time watching television, 56% increase in time spent using computers or video games, 76% increase in time spent using screen-based activities, and a decrease of 50% for time spent playing in parks or public spaces (para. 2). It should also be noted that parents who reported high levels of anxiety caused by the pandemic were less likely to take their kids to parks and as a result, their kids had a higher chance of engaging in screen time that was over 2 hours (para. 2).

This study is a great example of how sometimes there are storms out there that don’t give a flying squirrel about you. They change your routines, disrupt your normal, and have no manners at all. Living through the pandemic and almost making it on the other side (knock on wood), we can see that the scales have been tipped - and they haven’t quite been in our favour.

To combat increasing screen times and declined use of outdoor spaces, the Vivo Play Project has some amazing resources to utilize - and the best part – they're all free! Before you think the next storm is about to roll in, visit a Play Hub in a nearby community or book a Play Kit to take home with you! These activities are guaranteed to take your kids away from screens, get them moving, and hopefully relieve some of the stress off of your shoulders.

To view the full research article, click here!