Family experiences reported by healthcare worker parents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: Parents, who were working as essential frontline healthcare workers experienced unique stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic including disruption of regular routines, long lapses away from family, extreme work stress and subsequent difficulty in compartmentalizing work-related concerns when at home. The purpose of this study was to assess COVID-19 exposure and impact of frontline healthcare workers who are parents. Design & methods: This study quantitatively assessed the COVID-19 exposure and impact and qualitatively explored perceptions of parents of children 9 to 17 years of age, who were also frontline healthcare workers. Results: Participants (N = 79) using the COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS) reported exposure mean scores of 10.03 (SD = 2.63); and impact scores mean scores of 3.18 (SD = 0.46). Thematic analysis identified four themes, each with 2 subthemes: 1) family stressors increased (e.g., concerns about health and safety, losses of lifestyle patterns); 2) changes in children's health and well-being (e.g., isolation from family and friends, mental health problems); 3) virtual school difficulties (e.g., parent and student challenges, home school option); 4) skill building opportunities (e.g., enhanced emotional connections, increased family activities). Conclusion: The CHAMPS Family Health Study suggests that families of essential workers are especially vulnerable to the effect of COVID-19, as are those families of essential workers who include child/ren with special health care needs. Practice implications: Preparation for future emergencies requires strategies to mitigate consequences and promote well-being. These results highlight the need for supportive approaches to decrease the negative consequences of stress and to augment skills for family connection and cooperation. (c) 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.