pandemic takes toll on children

Families under stress

UC parents struggle with COVID-19 variant. | Photo by Joe Jones

Parents cope with problems of childraising

STAFF REPORT
UC Style Magazine
     After several months of stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many households are beginning to experience family burnout from spending so much time together.
     Now that schools are out for the summer and millions of Americans are currently unemployed, partners, parents, and children who are together 24-7 may soon feel even more desperate for a few moments alone and a return to their pre-COVID-19 routines.
     But the current rise in cases and the delay of reopening plans in several states may signal that families will need to remain together at home even longer than they realized.
However, households that are feeling togetherness fatigue can take steps to alleviate family burnout and ease the strain on their relationships.
     How do you know if you’re experiencing family burnout resulting from COVID-19 togetherness?
     Dr. Pavan Madan is a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist with Community Psychiatry, the largest outpatient mental health organization in California. He explained there are three main symptoms to look out for. They are:
     1. feeling physically or emotionally exhausted
     2. not being able to handle usual tasks
     3. feeling annoyed easily
     These are symptoms a large number of people may be feeling right now, with exhaustion being reported across the internet. Also, despite the fact that people are home and seemingly have all the time in the world on their hands, this inexplicable fatigue is becoming a common phenomenon.
     In fact, Madan said, “Although no clear data is available, a 2018 survey found that half of all parents experience burnout — and this was prior to the pandemic.”
     Given the heightened rates of family togetherness now, it stands to reason those numbers are much higher, especially for single parents.
     For single parents still working, now depleted of their normal childcare assistance, the pandemic may mean more to do and fewer opportunities for self-care than ever before.
Prairie Conlon, a licensed mental health professional and clinical director of the telehealth company CertaPet, said burnout is common.
     “In a two-parent household, division of tasks allows each parent to have some relief, but single-parent households typically take on all of these tasks themselves, which can absolutely lead to burnout quicker,” she said.
     For single parents in a pandemic, there’s no partner to help share responsibilities and there are few, if any, opportunities to get away and breathe by oneself. The result can easily lead to family burnout.
     “One of the earliest signs of burnout is having less patience,” Conlon said, “whether it’s snapping at your kids or making a microwave dinner.”
     “How demanding your job is or how the rest of your family is handling quarantine can further exacerbate burnout,” Conlon added. It’s important to remember that amidst all this, adults aren’t the only ones experiencing burnout.
     “Burnout in children often presents as anxiety, being irritable, poor academic performance, or staying isolated from peers and not expressing interest in playing,” Madan said.
     A recent survey in Italy found that children are experiencing psychological impacts as a result of lockdown. They’re more irritable, having trouble sleeping, and many are regressing developmentally.
     “Compared to younger children, teenagers may be more likely to experience burnout due to higher academic workload, greater need for peer interaction, and more frequent conflicts with parents,” Madan said.