1254 - TRAJECTORIES OF CHILDREN'S SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT FROM PRE- TO POST-PANDEMIC: FAMILY RISK AND RESILIENCE IN THE FINNBRAIN BIRTH COHORT

Session: P_D06S004 - Poster Session 4 - Division 6
AUTHORS:
Moazami-Goodarzi Ali (Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Zarra-Nezhad Maryam (Turku Research Institute of Learning Analytics, Faculty of Science, University of Turku ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Tervahartiala Katja (Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Zarra-Nezhad Mansour (Department of Economics, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz ~ Ahvaz ~ Iran, Islamic Republic of) , Karukivi Max (Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Karlsson Linnea (Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Karlsson Hasse (Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Lindblom Jallu (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tampere ~ Tampere ~ Finland) , Juntunen Pauliina (Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Luotola Aino (Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Huovinen Venla (Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Korja Riikka (Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku ~ Turku ~ Finland) , Nolvi Saara (Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku ~ Turku ~ Finland)
Abstract text:
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped children's everyday lives by disrupting schools, limiting peer interactions, and increasing family stress. Such large-scale changes to developmental contexts raised concerns about how children's socio-emotional skills, critical for later adjustment in school, relationships, and mental health, would adapt over time.
Purpose: This study examined trajectories of Finnish children's socio-emotional development across the COVID-19 pandemic and into post-pandemic recovery, and their associations with parental distress, COVID-19 stressors, and family resilience.
Method: Participants were drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, a population-based longitudinal project investigating early life factors contributing to children's health and development. The cohort originally recruited families during pregnancy between 2011 and 2015 in Southwest Finland and the Åland Islands. The present analyses included 1,990 children (53% boys) assessed at ages 4, 5, and 9 years, together with five pandemic survey waves: T1 (May 2020), T2 (Aug 2020), T3 (Dec 2020), T4 (Jun 2021), and T5 (Jan 2024). Age 4 assessments occurred pre-pandemic, whereas age 5 and 9 assessments spanned pre- and post-pandemic periods. At each wave, mothers (71.3%) and fathers (28.7%) provided reports on children's socio-emotional development, parental distress, COVID-19 stressors, and family resilience.
Results: Children's prosocial behavior rose at the onset of the pandemic, then declined modestly but remained above pre-pandemic levels. Internalizing problems were stable, while externalizing problems declined with age without pandemic-specific shifts. Parental distress consistently predicted poorer socio-emotional outcomes, while family resilience, particularly social support, was broadly protective. Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium modeling showed family resilience had lasting effects, parental distress temporary disruptions, and COVID-19 stressors short-lived effects.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the enduring importance of resilience resources in buffering children from contextual stressors. Parental distress emerged as a key risk factor, whereas family resilience exerted lasting positive effects on children's socio-emotional trajectories across and beyond the pandemic.