A study of people who care for children finds that Covid-19 lockdowns have provided some unexpected benefits. Survey respondents report four areas of personal growth that have been given an opportunity to flourish when busy lives were interrupted. People reported positive changes in their family relationships, spiritual well-being, and more.
The study suggests ways we may emerge from the pandemic strengthened by the experience.
There is no question that the disruption of Covid-19 lockdowns and physical distancing measures has had a profound psychological and economic impact on many people.
For many, the normally frantic pace of life has ground to a halt. However, a new study from researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and the University of Lisbon in Portugal finds that being forced off life’s usual merry-go-round may not be all bad.
When people were asked, “Do you think there are any positives to come out of this pandemic and the social distancing restrictions?” 88.6% responded “yes.”
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, finds that hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic can offer an opportunity for what the study refers to as “post-traumatic growth.”
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According to lead author Prof. Paul Stallard of the University of Bath’s Department for Health, there is no doubt about the pandemic’s negative toll:
“But that is not the full story. Many respondents in our study emphasized what we had heard anecdotally about some of the positive effects people have derived from leading their lives in quieter, slower ways because of lockdowns.”
The researchers drew their conclusions from the results of an online questionnaire completed by 385 caregivers from the U.K. and Portugal. Of them, 185 were in Portugal, and 200 were in the U.K.
The majority of the respondents were mothers who had intact nuclear families with one or two children. The children in their care were aged 6–16. The questionnaires were completed between May 1 and June 27, 2020.
