COVID-19 Media Exposure and Parenting

Rationale- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a drastic change in the way of living for most parents. A study conducted during the lockdown of Italy found that parents experienced a high level of distress (Marchetti et al., 2020). Several studies have been conducted to find how media exposure and screen time affect children but much less research has been conducted on how media exposure is related to parental feelings and parenting. Methods- The aim of this paper is to explore the role of COVID-19 media exposure in parental aggravation, closeness to children, parental self-regulation, intolerance of uncertainty, and resourcefulness. A self-report questionnaire completed by parents in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic was used. One-Way ANOVAs were run between groups of media use against these other measures of parenting. Results- Most of the findings indicated no relation between media exposure and parenting variables. The between groups analysis of COVID-19 media exposure (TV news) and self-sufficiency was significant, F(1, 76) = 4.24, p = 0.043. The between groups analysis of COVID19 media exposure (Social Media) and intolerance of uncertainty was significant, F(1, 76) = 4.43, p = 0.039. These significant differences mean that people who were exposed to TV news concerning COVID-19 reported lower self-sufficiency and people more exposed to social media reported less intolerance of uncertainty. Conclusion- It was found that mostly the difference in media use did not have an impact on parental aggravation and stress, parental self-reliance, intolerance of uncertainty, and resourcefulness. The significant relationships provide further exploration for research on why only these two were significant