Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health Promotion

Supervisor

Mantler, Tara

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged caregivers’ and school-aged children’s ability to adapt. Their adaptability may be due to their resilience, which socioeconomic status (SES) may impact.

Methods: Surveys were administered to 22 caregivers and 27 school-aged children (7-10 years) living in Ontario to measure their resilience and SES in the context of COVID-19. Correlations were employed to explore relationships between: (1) caregiver and child resilience; and (2) resilience and SES.

Results: Analyses found no significant relationship between caregiver and child resilience, nor resilience and SES in the context of COVID-19. Trends revealed caregivers with normal resilience had a higher average income than those of low resilience.

Conclusion: While the resilience and SES of caregivers and children were not significantly related, the income of caregivers appears to relate to resilience levels. Future research should examine possible environmental factors that contribute to children’s and caregivers’ resilience through adversities.

Summary for Lay Audience

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for caregivers and school-aged children that have been more pronounced in Ontario, including navigating the longest in-person school closures in all of Canada. When faced with the adverse circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals may have called upon their resilience, which can be defined as a dynamic process in which psychosocial and environmental factors interact to enable individuals to survive, grow, and thrive during exposure to adversity. The resilience of individuals may be related to economic hardships resulting from the pandemic, which have been primarily experienced by families of low socioeconomic status (SES), or a combination of low income, educational attainment, and/or unreliable occupations.

Methods: Online surveys were administered to 22 caregivers and 27 children aged 7-10 years to measure their resilience and SES. Statistical tests were run to determine whether a relationship existed between caregiver and child resilience as well as SES and the resilience of caregivers and children in the context of COVID-19.

Results: Statistical tests provided insufficient evidence to suggest that a relationship existed between the resilience of caregivers and children or between the SES and resilience of caregivers or children. However, a trend emerged that caregivers with normal resilience levels reported a higher average income than those caregivers with low resilience.

Conclusion: Overall, these results indicate that there is insufficient evidence to suggest a relationship between the resilience of caregivers and their children; however, income may play a role in the resilience of caregivers. Future research is required to examine possible factors that may contribute to the resilience of caregivers and children through adversities. It would be beneficial to identify factors that contribute to helping families survive, and even thrive, through adversities to ensure a proactive and effective public health response in future iterations of the pandemic or pandemic-similar situations.

Download

Share

COinS