Household composition and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 11; p. e0277243
• Main Authors: McDonald, André J, Hamilton, Hayley A, Elton-Marshall, Tara, Nigatu, Yeshambel T, Jankowicz, Damian, Bondy, Susan J, Wells, Samantha, Wickens, Christine M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 03.11.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Age; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - epidemiology; Biology and Life Sciences; Canada - epidemiology; Care and treatment; Child; Children; Children & youth; Communicable Disease Control; Composition; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Depression - epidemiology; Diagnosis; Educational attainment; Epidemics; Family income; Female; Gender; Gender differences; Households; Humans; Infectious diseases; Least squares method; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Men; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mothers; Pandemics; Parents & parenting; People and Places; Population; Population studies; Population-based studies; Psychological aspects; Public health; Regression analysis; Regression models; Research and Analysis Methods; Sex roles; Signs and symptoms; Single parents; Social Sciences; Surveys; Women; Canada
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277243

Household composition may be an important factor associated with anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic as people spend more time at home due to physical distancing and lockdown restrictions. Adults living with children-especially women-may be particularly vulnerable to anxiety as they balance additional childcare responsibilities and homeschooling with work. The objective of this study was to examine the association between household composition and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore gender as an effect modifier. Data were derived from seven waves of a national online survey of Canadian adults aged 18+ years from May 2020 to March 2021, which used quota sampling by age, gender, and region proportional to the English-speaking Canadian population (n = 7,021). Multivariable logistic and modified least-squares regression models were used. Compared to those living alone, significantly greater odds of anxiety symptoms were observed among single parents/guardians (aOR = 2.00; 95%CI: 1.41-2.84), those living with adult(s) and child(ren) (aOR = 1.39; 95%CI: 1.10-1.76), and those living with adult(s) only (aOR = 1.22; 95%CI: 1.00-1.49). Gender was a significant effect modifier on the additive scale (p = 0.0487) such that the association between living with child(ren) and anxiety symptoms was stronger among men than women. Additional tailored supports are needed to address anxiety among adults living with children-especially men-during the COVID-19 pandemic and future infectious disease events.