Cross-Sectional Study Protocol for the COVID-19 Impact Survey of Mothers and Their 7-11 Year Old Children in Alberta, Canada

Nicole Letourneau; Sheila McDonald; Lyndsay Jerusha MacKay; Rhonda C Bell; Erin Hetherington; Andrea J Deane; Deborah Dewey; Sarah Edwards; Catherine J Field; Gerald F Giesbrecht; Susan Graham; Catherine Lebel; Brenda Leung; Sheri Madigan; Brae Anne McArthur; Carly McMorris; Nicole Racine; Kharah M Ross; Muci Wu; Suzanne C Tough

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.597759

Cross-Sectional Study Protocol for the COVID-19 Impact Survey of Mothers and Their 7-11 Year Old Children in Alberta, Canada

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jun 22:12:597759. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.597759. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Nicole Letourneau^{1

2

3

4

5}, Sheila McDonald^{2

3}, Lyndsay Jerusha MacKay¹, Rhonda C Bell⁶, Erin Hetherington³, Andrea J Deane^{2

4}, Deborah Dewey^{2

3

4}, Sarah Edwards⁷, Catherine J Field⁶, Gerald F Giesbrecht³, Susan Graham⁸, Catherine Lebel⁷, Brenda Leung^{3

9}, Sheri Madigan⁸, Brae Anne McArthur⁸, Carly McMorris¹⁰, Nicole Racine⁸, Kharah M Ross^{8

11}, Muci Wu², Suzanne C Tough^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
² Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
³ Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁴ Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁸ Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁹ Public Health Program, Faculty Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
¹⁰ Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
¹¹ Psychology, Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada.

Abstract

Objectives: Our aim is to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on families who have been followed longitudinally in two cohorts studied in Alberta, Canada. We will examine household infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial impact, domestic violence, substance use, child school and daily life and relationships in the home. We will identify risk and protective factors for maternal mental health outcomes using longitudinal data that can inform policy and government resource allocation in future disasters. Methods: Mothers who are currently participating in two longitudinal studies, Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON; N = 1,800) and All Our Families (AOF: N = 2,534) were eligible to participate. Mothers were invited to complete the baseline COVID-19 Impact Survey (20-30 min) within 4 months of March 15, 2020, which was when the province of Alberta, Canada, implemented school closures and physical-distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Mothers were asked to report on their own, their child's and their family's functioning. Mothers were re-surveyed at 6 months after completion of the initial COVID-19 Impact Survey, and will be re-surveyed again at 12 months. Results: Responses from participants in both cohorts will be examined in harmonized analyses as well as separately. Descriptive, multivariable analysis will be undertaken to examine risk and resiliency over time and factors that predict mental health and well-being. Conclusions: This study will provide timely information on the impact of COVID-19 for Albertan families. It will identify risk and protective factors for mental health and well-being among contemporary urban families supported by a publicly funded health care system to inform allocation of resources to support those most vulnerable during a global pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; child; family; maternal; mental health; resilience (psychological); risk; well-being.