Psychiatria Danubina, Vol. 34 No. 2, 2022.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2022.364
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPTIMISM-PESSIMISM LEVELS OF MOTHERS AND ANXIETY LEVELS OF CHILDREN IN TURKEY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Hatice Kübra Tongar
; Department of Child Development, Uskudar University, Uskudar, Turkey
Nurper Ülküer
; Department of Child Development, Uskudar University, Uskudar, Turkey
Murat Yıldırım
orcid.org/0000-0003-1089-1380
; Department of Psychology, Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Ağrı, Turkey
Ekmel Geçer
; Department of Psychology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
Ömer Akgül
; Department of Psychology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the population including children, elderly, and vulnerable people.
The aim of this study is to examine, for the first time, the relationship optimism-pessimism levels of mothers and anxiety level of
children in turkey during COVID-19 pandemic.
Subjects and methods: Optimism-Pessimism Scale and Preschool Anxiety Scale were used to collect data from a representative
sample of 33,362 mothers with children aged 3-6 years.
Results: Of the parents, 53% of them reported that their children were slightly anxious due to COVID-19 pandemic. Lower
optimism and higher pessimism were significantly related with higher levels of children’s anxiety including social, generalized,
separation, and overall anxiety as well as obvious fear. Group comparison analysis indicated that very anxious children reported the
highest level of different types of anxiety and fear compared to less anxious and not at all anxious children.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that mental health of children has been adversely affected during the pandemic and this has
important implications for designing and implementing interventions aimed at reducing anxiety levels of children and determining
protective and risk factors associated with anxiety in the face of adversity.
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic; optimism-pessimism; anxiety level; children
Hrčak ID:
280092
URI
Publication date:
5.7.2022.
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