Symposia
Parenting / Families
Abbey L. Horton, M.A.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Abbey L. Horton, M.A.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Beth S. Russell, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Rachel Tambling, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the daily routines of families marked by school closures, event cancellations, and social distancing. Research on parents’ wellbeing during the pandemic shows us that parents are experiencing both increased levels of stress which have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels (Adams et al., 2021), as well as feelings of ambiguous loss (Testoni et al., 2021). Ambiguous loss defined as unclear loss with no closure (Boss, 2007) is leading to clinical levels of grief during the pandemic (Bertuccio & Runion, 2020). Coping is defined as an individual’s cognitive and behavioral ability to manage the demands of a stressful situation (Folkman et al., 1986). Positive coping strategies have been found to be protective factors for families during COVID-19 (Donker et al., 2021) whereas maladaptive coping techniques such as self-blame or denial may be risk factors (Ogueji et al., 2021). The presentation asks: How do parents’ difficulties with emotion regulation, maladaptive coping mechanisms and stress levels longitudinally predict feelings of ambiguous loss during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The current study examines individual and family experiences following one year of COVID-19 in the U.S.; baseline data collected April 2020, follow-up May 2021. The present analysis includes longitudinal data on 134 parent participants (54.5% female; Mage = 39.1 years; Mchildage = 9.4 years). Participants completed measures of stress (Perceived Stress Scale; Cohen, et al., 1983; COVID-Stressors Scale; Park et al., 2020), difficulties with emotion regulation (DERS-SF; Kaufman et al., 2016), coping behaviors (Brief-COPE; Carver, 1997), and ambiguous loss items (inspired by Boss, 2016). Bivariate associations between ambiguous loss at 1-year follow-up based on baseline predictors show the strongest linear associations with DERS strategy subscale, parents’ general stress, and Brief-COPE denial subscale (Pearson’s rs ranging from .30 to .51, all p < .001). Associations between baseline parent stress, emotion regulation, coping behaviors, and 1-year ambiguous loss were tested through linear regression. The regression indicates 33.8% of the variance in parents’ ambiguous loss is explained by the lack of emotion regulation strategies (β = 0.11, p < .36), use of denial coping strategies (β = 0.33, p < .001), and parents’ general stress (β = 0.31, p < .001), respectively. Results suggest that grief counselors should receive trainings on ambiguous loss in hopes to reduce mental health symptomology and destigmatize ambiguous loss.