摘要：Research indicates that a substantial number of parents’ report worsening of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have subsequent adverse consequences for parenting and the parent-child relationship. However, little is known about how parental worries about the pandemic may affect parent mental health and parenting in parents of young children. This study aims to examine (a) the prevalence of parental depressive symptoms, (b) the levels of COVID-19 related parental worries, (c) the relationship between parental worries and parenting, including the potential mediating role of parental depressive symptoms, in two samples of parents of 1- to 5-year-old children. Method: Since late 2020, baseline data have been collected in the UK (N = 454) and The Netherlands (N = 1331) via an online survey. Participants included parents of children aged 1-5 years. Results: We will analyse levels of parental depressive symptoms and the mean levels of COVID-19 related worries through descriptive statistics for both countries separately. In addition, mediation analyses will be conducted for each country, to examine the mediating role of parental depressive symptoms in the relation between parental COVID-19 worries and parenting. Parental warmth and rejection will be used as outcome variables, controlling for pre-existing parental mental health problems, as well as child age and gender. Conclusions: Findings will be discussed in the context of how each country has handled the pandemic, as well as providing insight into the mental health and parenting support needs of families with young children during this time.
