Imperial College London
Alternate

PROFESSOR AZEEM MAJEED

Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health

Chair - Primary Care and Public Health & Head of Department
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 3368a.majeed Website

 
 
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Assistant

 

Ms Dorothea Cockerell +44 (0)20 7594 3368

 
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Location

 

Reynolds BuildingCharing Cross Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{El-Osta:2021:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397,
author = {El-Osta, A and Alaa, A and Webber, I and Riboli-Sasco, E and Emmanouil, B and Millar, HL and Vidal, Hall C and Majeed, A},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397},
journal = {BMJ Open},
pages = {1--11},
title = {How is the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the mental health of parents of school-age children in the United Kingdom?  A cross-sectional online survey},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397},
volume = {11},
year = {2021}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age childrenDesignCross sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age childrenSettingCommunity settingParticipants 1214 parents of school-age children in the United KingdomMethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA three-item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression modelsMain outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.Results Half of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single-parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study-space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. Two modifiable health seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) were identified as key factors in reducing feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.
AU  - El-Osta,A
AU  - Alaa,A
AU  - Webber,I
AU  - Riboli-Sasco,E
AU  - Emmanouil,B
AU  - Millar,HL
AU  - Vidal,Hall C
AU  - Majeed,A
DO  - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397
EP  - 11
PY  - 2021///
SN  - 2044-6055
SP  - 1
TI  - How is the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the mental health of parents of school-age children in the United Kingdom?  A cross-sectional online survey
T2  - BMJ Open
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397
UR  - https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/5/e043397
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/88015
VL  - 11
ER  -
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