engleski

Mental health assessment of parents of children obliged to attend the medical exam before elementary school admission during the covid-19 pandemic

AIM: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health. Studies showed that poor mental health of parents is related to poor physical and mental health in children. The aim of this study was to estimate mental health of parents of pre-school children obliged to attend the medical exam before elementary school admission during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants in the research were parents of children aged 6 to 7 years who were obliged to attend the medical exam before elementary school admission in the city of Zaprešić in school year 2021/22. We used validated questionnaire Mental Health Inventory – 5 (MHI-5) which included several mental health items: anxiety (How often have you been very nervous?), depression (How often have you felt discouraged and sad?), general positive affect (How often have you been happy? ; How often have you felt calm and peaceful?) and behavioral / emotional control (How often have you felt so depressed that nothing could cheer you up?). The questionnaire also included items about gender, age and level of education of parents. The parents were asked to complete questionnaire anonymously. Data were analyzed by methods of descriptive and analytic statistics, with the significant level of P<0.05. RESULTS: Data analysis included 264 (78.81 %) of total number of respondents (83.3% females), mean age 38.19±5.84. Mean MHI-5 score of respondents were 22.45±3.07. Significantly lower mean MHI-5 score was found in respondents 50-years old and older, comparing to younger respondents (19.4 vs 22.79 ; P=0.034). There was not significant difference in mean MHI-5 score regarding the parents’ gender or education level. In our sample, Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency was 0, 802. CONCLUSION: The results showed good mental health of parents of children during pandemic, with the exception of older parents. Parents of schoolchildren are important partner of school health service, and results indicate the need of intervention regarding mental health in older parents

mental health ; parents ; children ; COVID-19 pandemic

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