Inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19-related financial difficulties for Australian families with young children.
Child Care Health Dev
; 48(6): 1040-1051, 2022 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35373368
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
We examine (1) the frequency of financial difficulties in Australian families with young children (0-8 years) in the early and later phases of the pandemic; (2) the extent to which parents' pre-pandemic socio-economic disadvantage (SED) predicted financial difficulties; and (3) whether grandparent intergenerational SED further amplified this risk.METHOD:
Data Australian Temperament Project (ATP; established 1983, N = 2443) and ATP Generation 3 study (ATPG3; established 2012; N = 702), of which 74% (N = 553) completed a COVID-specific module in the early (May-September 2020) and/or later (October-December 2021) phases of the pandemic.OUTCOMES:
Parent-reported loss of employment/reduced income, difficulty paying for essentials, and financial strain. EXPOSURES Pre-pandemic parent and grandparent education and occupation.ANALYSIS:
Logistic regressions, estimated via generalized estimating equations, were used to examine associations between the pre-pandemic SED of parents and grandparents and their interaction with financial difficulties, adjusting for potential confounders.RESULTS:
At both pandemic time points, a third of parents reported adverse financial impacts (early 34%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 30-38; later 32%, 95% CI = 28-36). Each standard deviation increase in the parents' pre-pandemic SED was associated with a 36% increase in the odds of reporting multiple financial difficulties (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.78). There was little evidence of an interaction between the SED of parents and grandparents.CONCLUSIONS:
Financial impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic were common and, irrespective of grandparent SED, disproportionately borne by parents with higher pre-pandemic SED. Given the well-established relationship between disadvantage and child health and development, sustained and well-targeted government supports will be critical to minimizing adverse impacts in years to come.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
País como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article