Pandemic Parenting: A Looming Mental Health Crisis Demanding Attention

“I had the worst day of this entire pandemic yesterday…” — father of two young girls.

Forthright statements like this indicate that many parents are reaching their breaking points. This particular father is working full-time remotely from his home while simultaneously trying to manage his daughter’s hybrid homeschool schedule.

And he’s not alone. The cumulative impact of this unresolved situation can lead to an increased stress level over time. What’s more, accumulated stress can render previously successful coping skills far less effective over time.

Some parents report that they are drinking more alcohol than they ever have before in their life. For many, this has become a nightly activity. While they are fully aware that they are “self-medicating,” they feel that they have no other choice in their desperate attempt to cope with their current work/life/school/children challenges.

As Month 10 of the pandemic is about to begin, the mental health problems of parents remain significant and show little signs of abating. While the pandemic has taken its toll on the mental health of all demographics, recent data from the University of Oregon’s RAPID-EC survey, which polled 1,000 nationally parents with children under 5 every shows that parents of young…