Cohort study of the relationship between childhood inattention and hyperactivity symptoms, internalising symptoms and attentive parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: Reports of mental health difficulties in Canadian children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and new research suggests that children who exhibit marked symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity were disproportionately affected. As a result, the pandemic also had a deleterious effect on families. This study aimed to: 1) examine whether children's symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year were associated with mindful parenting (or mindfulness parenting) at the end of the school year; and 2) examine whether children's symptoms of depression and anxiety at the end of the year tempered this association. Methods: Parents of 114 young children in a large Canadian city participated in this study during the winter of 2020 and spring of 2021. Parents completed several rating scales to measure children's mental health symptomatology and attention to parenting practices. Results: Inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in children were significantly negatively associated with attentive parenting during the school year, and depressive symptoms in children tempered this relationship. In particular, when children's depressive symptoms were mild or moderate, higher levels of inattention and hyperactivity were associated with lower levels of attentive parenting. On the other hand, when depressive symptoms were severe in children, inattention and hyperactivity symptoms were not predictive of attentive parenting. Conclusions: Children's mental health, namely symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity and depression, is related to difficulties in attentive parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results may indicate to physicians which families need more support during the pandemic.