Open Collections

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced various stressors for families, including changes to daily routines, work, and schooling. Studies have linked these stressors to increased mental health challenges for parents and children. Sleep difficulties were also common during the pandemic, with some children and parents experiencing poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration. However, it remains unclear whether the effects of COVID-19 stress on mental health challenges are explained, at least in part, by effects of COVID-19 stress on child and/or parent sleep challenges. This study examined the impacts of COVID-19 stress on sleep and, in turn, mental health difficulties in school-aged children and their parents in Canada and the United States. Methods: Parents (N = 961) completed validated measures of COVID-19 stress, and of their own and their child’s sleep and mental health. Path analyses tested direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 stress on mental health outcomes with sleep problems as the potential mediator. Results: Child sleep problems partially mediated COVID-19 stress effects on both parent (β = 0.33) and child (β = 0.20) mental health difficulties, while parent sleep problems contributed significantly but to a lesser degree (parent mental health: β = 0.07; child mental health: β = 0.03). There also remained significant direct effects of COVID-19 stress on both child and parent mental health difficulties that were not mediated through sleep difficulties. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the interconnected nature of sleep and mental health, demonstrating that stress-related disruptions in sleep (particularly children’s sleep) can exacerbate mental health difficulties for both parents and children during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.