Parenting stress: socio-economic determinants before and during the covid-19 pandemic. results of an italian cross-sectional study

Background and objective: Parenting can be a stressful experience and in the context of a pandemic it can represent a challenge for many families. The aim of this study was to investigate socio-demographic factors related to parenting stress before and after the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Italian parents living in Modena (Italy). Methods: From September 2019 to May 2021, 80 parents of 6 months healthy children were enrolled in a prospective cohort study at the local University Hospital and filled in the Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF), a validated questionnaire measuring parenting stress, well-known in clinical practice for its reliability and simplicity of use. PSI scores over the 90th percentile of the Italian population distribution were considered indicative of a highly stressful condition. The role played by different socio-demographic factors in increasing PSI score was tested by chi-square test in the whole sample and by stratifying parents according to the evaluation time (PRE-COVID and COVID period). Results: Overall, 11% of parents reported high stress scores and prevalence was higher during lockdown (15% vs 6%). In the COVID group, higher scores were observed in younger mothers (17%), higher educated parents (16% and 23% of mothers and fathers respectively), having only one child (18%) and living in the urban environment (23%), regardless of infant’s gender. In the PRE-COVID group higher stress scores were reported mainly by parents with more than one child (10%), with male children (9%), and by mothers with lower education (8%). Nevertheless, differences were often not statistically significant. Conclusion: Different socio-demographic factors appear to be related to higher parenting stress and our results suggest that they could show inverse trends in different conditions. Parenting stress in difficult circumstances must be addressed carefully and promptly and specific public health interventions for families with special needs must be planned and implemented.