The third report of the research conducted by Bogazici University, Department of Basic Education faculty member Mine Göl-Guven and her team, revealing the reflections of the Covid-19 epidemic and quarantine process on the lives of families with children, has been published. Data collected from 323 parents were analyzed at the end of March 15-June 1, known as the Covid-19 stay-at-home process.
323 parents with children aged 4-12 from 39 different provinces of Turkey participated in the Covid-19 Family survey by answering online survey questions. Looking at the gender distribution, it was seen that 90 percent of the participants were women. Parents who participated in the study stated that 84 of them had a university or higher education and 71 of them had an income above the minimum wage.
In the report, the emotional states of parents and children before Covid-19 and during the quarantine period, relations with spouses and children, views of parents and children on the time they spend together and education, socialization methods, and daily use of children’s sleep, nutrition, exercise and screen, before and after the pandemic. The findings regarding the differences in their lives were shared.
According to the research, the ability to be resistant to uncertainty is related to parents’ ability to regulate their mood during the Covid-19 process.
Those who generally felt good continued to feel good during the Covid-19 restrictions. Children with generally anxious and fearful moods were also negatively evaluated by their parents in their feelings and behaviors during the quarantine period.
Parents were asked to evaluate themselves for their emotional state in general. Parents made a similar assessment regarding the Covid-19 process. The findings showed that the participants who evaluated their mood positively did not have any problems in regulating their emotions related to Covid-19. Parents, who described their children as fearful and anxious in general, also made a negative assessment of their children’s emotions and behaviors during the restrictions. Parents who negatively evaluated their own emotional states during the quarantine period stated that their children’s emotions and behaviors were also problematic.
Satisfaction reflected in relations with spouse and children
The nature of the relationship with the spouse brought the happiness experienced with the spouse. Likewise, the quality of the relationship with the child provided happiness with the child. In addition, a similar connection was seen between the relationships. The satisfaction of the participants in their relationships with their spouses and children resulted in their expressing their happiness in these relationships. For example, it was seen that the happiness experienced with the spouse determines the quality of the relationship with the child.
Expressing that they spend quality time with their children and do educational activities, the parents emphasized the positive emotional and behavioral characteristics of the children in this process. Parents who maintained their emotional state in quarantine also evaluated the time and education processes positively.
Parents, who were strong against uncertainties, also managed better quality time and education processes during the quarantine period. Children, who are generally defined as fearful and anxious, also experienced the time spent with their parents and education processes negatively during the quarantine.
What methods did the children use to socialize?
In the study, it was determined that as the age of the children increased, meeting with friends and teachers was more frequent. It was observed that as the age of the children increased, their online socialization with their friends decreased. A striking finding was the increase in the use of online gaming platforms with age, and a decrease in gaming with parents and online socializing with friends.
Compared to boys, girls are more involved in online socializing with relatives, learning on their own and doing chores; Compared to girls, boys mostly engaged in non-educational activities on online gaming platforms and on screen.
Income level and habits investigated
Within the scope of the research, the relationships between habits and income level were also examined. Accordingly, it was observed that the children of parents with lower incomes had deviations from the routine in their sleep, nutrition and exercise patterns. It was found that as the income level of the family increased, the children’s regular exercise also increased. It was observed that as the income level of the participants increased, they evaluated themselves better in the areas of sleep patterns, changes in income, physical health and psychological health.
Source: (BHA) – Beyaz News Agency
