How does alcohol and stress impact parenting during the pandemic?

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — New research sheds light on the challenges parents face in raising their children during the pandemic. 

Combine that with the effects of alcohol, and it could lead to a more punitive approach to parenting, according to one San José State University researcher.

SJSU associate professor of social work, Jennifer Price Wolf, has been studying how these factors play a role in the way parents address child misbehavior.

Wolf’s work has been published in two research journals in 2021 — the first, “Stress, alcohol use, and punitive parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic,” appeared in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect in July. The second, “Daily Stress and Use of Aggressive Discipline by Parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” appeared in the Journal of Family Violence in November.

Both articles were written based on data Wolf gathered alongside researchers at The Ohio State University (OSU).

Participants, all of whom lived in Ohio, shared their baseline parenting approaches, stress levels, and alcohol consumption patterns in a pre-study survey at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Then, they responded to questions on their smartphones about their stress levels and parenting techniques every day, multiple times a day for about a month during lockdown.

According to the data, parents were more likely to use punitive parenting techniques during higher moments of stress, which occurred most frequently in the late afternoon and evenings.

After stress had accumulated throughout the day, parents were more likely to resort to corporal, or physical, punishment, yelling at or shaming their children, according to Wolf.

Parents who drank weekly or monthly were more likely to use these forms of discipline.

“Alcohol was like an accelerant,” Wolf explained.

“The relationship between stress and punitive parenting already existed, and it became stronger when drinking was involved.”

Managing stress

According to Wolf, the solution may be as simple as finding ways to manage stress.

“This points to the importance of trying to alleviate those stressors,” said Wolf.

“Part of it is being mindful about when you’re most at risk, and later in the day seems to be an issue. So try making an easier dinner, make a simpler bedtime regime,” Wolf added.

“Parents might see a drink as the possibility of relaxation. Or maybe they use punitive parenting and then feel guilty about it, so they have a drink afterward. Make sure you’re drinking after the kids are asleep. Or drink less frequently and make sure you’re not drinking so much that you’re hungover the next morning.”

If you’re a parent who tends to pour a drink more often since the pandemic began, you’re not alone, Wolf noted.

Wolf adds other ways to cope with stress include mindfulness exercises like deep breathing, accessing mental health support, or connecting with other parents.

Process

The research for the studies was conducted before Wolf joined SJSU in July 2020, well before COVID came to the U.S.

According to Wolf, when lockdown was underway, it provided the opportunity to see how a situation as stressful as a pandemic could play a role in parenting techniques.

Adding that although stay-at-home orders have been lifted, the recent urge in COVID-19 cases could mean parents are having to self-quarantine and keep their children at home.

“This made me think about how easy it is to slip into some of those negative parenting practices,” said Wolf.

“It has helped me to stop and think about what I’m saying, reevaluate my stress and take care of myself to make sure that I have the capacity to care for others.”