THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In the new coronavirus reality, the family home has become the nexus of everything -- school, day care, work, social life -- and it's stressing out a lot of American parents, a new report suggests.
The report, in which almost 300 parents of kids under 12 in the United States were surveyed, found that since the pandemic was declared, 83% said their schools were closed. A quarter of those parents reported more conflicts with their children. Another 15% said they had disciplined their children more often.
Nearly 20% of parents reported yelling and screaming at their kids more often since the pandemic was declared, and 9% said they used harsh words more readily. Five percent of parents said they spanked or hit their children more often.
"So many families are already living in tough conditions, and we don't have a strong enough safety net for kids and families, so we wanted to start a conversation about this. Everybody is going to struggle in different ways, but kids are vulnerable and voiceless. Kids are going to suffer from this, too," said report author Shawna Lee. She's an associate professor at the University of Michigan's School of Social Work.
Read the full article at U.S. News.
