Inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19-related financial difficulties for Australian families with young children

Meredith O'Connor; Christopher J Greenwood; Primrose Letcher; Rebecca Giallo; Naomi Priest; Sharon Goldfeld; Steven Hope; Ben Edwards; Craig A Olsson

doi:10.1111/cch.13010

Inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19-related financial difficulties for Australian families with young children

Child Care Health Dev. 2022 Nov;48(6):1040-1051. doi: 10.1111/cch.13010. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Authors

Meredith O'Connor^{1

2}, Christopher J Greenwood^{1

2

3}, Primrose Letcher^{1

2

3}, Rebecca Giallo^{1

2

3}, Naomi Priest^{1

4}, Sharon Goldfeld^{1

2}, Steven Hope^{1

5}, Ben Edwards⁴, Craig A Olsson^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria.
² Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.
³ Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁵ Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.

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.

Keywords: disadvantage; health inequity; intergenerational; longitudinal; socio-economic position.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adenosine Triphosphate
Australia / epidemiology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Income
Pandemics
Parents

Substances

Adenosine Triphosphate