Effects of the COVID-19-Pandemic on the Affective Well-Being of Preschool Children

The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of corona-specific variables and post-traumatic stress symptoms associated with the COVID-19-pandemic, considering sociodemographic data and health-related quality of life, on the affective well-being of preschool children and to identify predictors of positive and negative affect. A secondary analysis of third-party assessment data by parents of three- to six-year-old preschool children from the Tyrolean COVID-19 Children's Study at two measurement time points (123 records at t(1) in summer 2020; 467 records at t(2) in winter 2020/21) was conducted. To answer the research question hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed. The largest part of the variance explanation of affective well-being was explained by health-related quality of life: while self-esteem and psychological well-being were measurement-time-independent, effects of physical well-being, preschool, family, and friends were only significant in winter. Corona-specific variables caused additional variance explanation due to subjective threat experience in winter; post-traumatic stress symptoms had an effect at both measurement-times. In times of crisis children's self-esteem, psychological well-being, and post-traumatic stress symptoms should be considered. Measurement-time-dependent results suggest that the pandemic course plays a decisive role regarding the influence on children's affective well-being. Everyday life and routines must be redefined accordingly and communicated to the children.