Child and Family Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Child and Family Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic provides quick access to data available on KidsData.org that describe life disruptions and emotional and behavioral consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data help measure the pandemic’s impact on children and caregivers, builds understanding of how families are faring, and suggests where support might be most needed.
Access data on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on critical areas of children’s health and well-being:
- Health Care Access and Use
- Education and Social Activities
- Economic Security
- Supportive Services
- Emotional and Behavioral Health
- Child and Caregiver Safety
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Positive Childhood Experiences
- Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
Data are available for California and seven regions within California. At the state level, findings are broken down by income level, race/ethnicity, and presence of a child with special health care needs in the household. Visit the topic summary page for more information and links to additional research.
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Caregivers Share Their Thoughts
Caregivers responding to the Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic questionnaire reflected on caring for their children during the pandemic. reflected on caring for their children during the pandemic.
“I feel like I have become more loving, considerate, and patient with my children. The need to stay home has helped us create structure. I thought I was going to get irritated by having my kids home with me all the time, but it’s really been the opposite.”
“I’ve had to let go of a lot of expectations and have really learned what is important.”
“The biggest issue is protecting my child from my own anxiety and worries. She’s young enough that her daily life isn’t too disrupted but old enough to know the grownups are upset.”
About the Data Source
The data come from a national questionnaire, Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, designed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), and Tufts Medical Center’s Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE). Experts at AAP, CDC, PCAA, and HOPE use questionnaire findings across a wide range of content areas to understand the pandemic’s impacts on families and to produce resources for medical practitioners, caregivers, and others.
In California, a questionnaire oversample was funded by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health (LPFCH), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH’s) Essentials for Childhood Initiative (EfC), and CDPH’s Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP). Findings from the oversample are used to inform policy makers, program leaders, advocates, and others about how family experiences vary across sub-state areas, and to what extent families with children with special health care needs (CSHCN) face greater challenges.
California administration took place in four waves across 18 months: November 9 to December 11, 2020 (Wave 1), March 22 to April 12, 2021 (Wave 2), July 8 to July 27, 2021 (Wave 3), and June 3 to June 29, 2022 (Wave 4).
To learn more about the development of the questionnaire and to access national findings, visit AAP’s Family Snapshots: Life During the Pandemic.
Questionnaire Sample
Respondent demographics show some variation across waves but are generally stable. In each wave, data are weighted to reflect caregivers of children under age 18 in California.
Questionnaire Sample | Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 |
Respondents | 1,526 | 1,520 | 1,602 | 1,575 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Female | 54% | 53% | 53% | 53% |
Married or in Domestic Partnership | 69% | 72% | 73% | 61% |
One or More Children with Special Health Care Needs | 29% | 35% | 34% | 31% |
Race/Ethnicity* | ||||
Hispanic/Latino | 50% | 49% | 49% | 49% |
White | 28% | 28% | 29% | 27% |
Asian | 9% | 12% | 10% | 11% |
African American/Black | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
Education Level | ||||
Did Not Graduate High School | 12% | 13% | 12% | 11% |
High School Diploma | 30% | 29% | 29% | 32% |
Some College | 29% | 29% | 29% | 29% |
At Least 4-Year Degree | 30% | 30% | 30% | 28% |
Annual Household Income** | ||||
Less than $30,000 | 28% | 25% | 22% | 21% |
$30,000-$59,999 | 22% | 24% | 25% | 27% |
$60,000-$99,999 | 19% | 20% | 20% | 23% |
$100,000 or Higher | 25% | 25% | 29% | 25% |
*Not all racial/ethnic groups are shown.
**Income was not reported by all respondents.
Related Webinars
Nov. 15, 2022: “How Families of Children With Special Health Care Needs Are Coping in the ‘New Normal’” [slides]. KidsData’s Beth Jarosz and family advocate Lilian Ansari provide an overview of the fourth wave of data from the Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire, share insights on the pandemic’s impact on families of children with special health care needs, and suggest opportunities for positive change. The webinar was sponsored by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.
Nov. 18, 2021: “Child Well-Being During the Pandemic” [slides]. Presenters Lori Turk-Bicakci from KidsData and Tracy Mendez from the California School-Based Health Alliance provide an overview of three waves of data from the Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire and discuss how school-based health centers can help address concerns. The webinar was sponsored by the California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s Essentials for Childhood Initiative.
Apr. 29, 2021: “Family Experiences During COVID-19 Pandemic Data” [slides]. Drs. Robert Sege from the HOPE Project at Tufts Medical Center and Lori Turk-Bicakci from KidsData provide an overview of the questionnaire and cover national and California-level findings. The webinar was sponsored by the California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s Essentials for Childhood Initiative.
Data on Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health Care Access and Use
- Children’s COVID-19 Vaccination Status
- Caregiver Reasons for Not Vaccinating Children
- Young Children’s Vaccinations Currently Postponed
- Young Children’s Vaccinations Ever Postponed During Pandemic
- Receipt and Delivery of Children’s Health Care During Pandemic
- Adequacy of Telehealth for Children’s Health Care During Pandemic
- Availability of Telehealth for Mental Health Care
- Use of Telehealth for Mental Health Care During Pandemic
- Effectiveness of Telehealth for Mental Health Care During Pandemic
- Caregiver Preferences for Telehealth and In-Person Mental Health Care
- Children Who Received Needed Mental Health Counseling in Past Year
- Reasons for Children Not Receiving Needed Mental Health Counseling
Education and Social Activities
- Children’s School Arrangement
- Children’s School Currently Closed
- Children’s School Ever Closed During Pandemic
- Positive but Stressful Experiences Helping Children With Schoolwork
- Positive and Stressful Experiences Helping Children With Schoolwork, by Type
- Concern That Children Are Falling Behind at School
- Children’s Progress Towards Catching Up at School
- Children’s Activities Currently Disrupted, by Type of Disruption
- Children’s Activities Ever Disrupted During Pandemic, by Type of Disruption
- Children’s Informal Social Activities Currently Canceled
- Children’s Informal Social Activities Ever Canceled During Pandemic
- Young Children’s Vaccinations Currently Postponed
- Young Children’s Vaccinations Ever Postponed During Pandemic
Economic Security
- Caregiver’s Employment Status
- Change in Caregiver’s Employment During Pandemic
- Reduction in Caregiver’s Working Hours to Care for Children or Others
- Change in Household Financial Situation During Pandemic
- Change in Caregiver’s Working Hours During Pandemic
- Duration of Caregiver’s Reduced Working Hours
- Caregiver Quit or Changed Jobs During Pandemic
Supportive Services
- Current Use of Social Safety Net Resources
- Any Use of Social Safety Net Resources Before and During Pandemic
- Any Use of CalFresh Before and During Pandemic
- Any Use of Food Bank Services Before and During Pandemic
- Any Use of Free or Reduced-Price School Meals Before and During Pandemic
- Any Use of Public Health Insurance Before and During Pandemic
- Any Use of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program Before and During Pandemic
Emotional and Behavioral Health
- Concern for Children’s Emotional or Mental Health in Past Month
- Feelings of Anger Toward Children in Past Week
- Feelings of Closeness to Children During Pandemic
- Caregiver Confidence in Ability to Control Important Things in Past Month
- Caregiver Confidence in Ability to Control Important Things During Pandemic
- Caregiver Feelings of Stress and Accumulating Difficulties in Past Month
- Caregiver Feelings of Stress and Accumulating Difficulties During Pandemic
- Caregiver Self-Care Activities in Response to Stress in Past Month
- Caregiver Substance Use in Response to Stress in Past Month
- People From Whom Caregiver Sought Support in Past Month
- Change in Race/Ethnicity Discrimination Against Caregiver During Pandemic
- Change in Sexual Orientation Discrimination Against Caregiver During Pandemic
Child and Caregiver Safety
- Concern for Children’s Safety Following Relaxed Public Health Measures
- Intimate Partner Violence Against Caregivers
- Physical and Harsh Verbal Discipline of Children in Past Week
Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, by Number
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, by Type
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (Caregiver Retrospective), by Number
Positive Childhood Experiences
- Activities With Children in Past Week
- Outdoor Activities With Children in Past Week
- Reading With Children in Past Week
- Daily Opportunities for Children to Have Fun
- Caring Adults Outside of the Home
- People With Whom Children Spent Four or More Hours Weekly Before Pandemic
- People With Whom Children Spent Four or More Hours in Past Week
Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
- Care Provided to Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) in Past Week
- Services Accessed Before Pandemic to Support Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
- Services Ever Accessed During Pandemic to Support Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
- Services Accessed Currently to Support Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)
- Positive but Stressful Experiences Helping Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) With Medical Care
- Positive and Stressful Experiences Helping Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) With Medical Care, by Type
- Feelings of Being Overwhelmed by Demands of Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Before Pandemic
- Feelings of Being Overwhelmed by Demands of Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) During Pandemic
- Change in Feelings of Being Overwhelmed by Demands of Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) in Past Month
Posted by kidsdata.org
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