Does Mothers` Health Literacy Levels Affect Their Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic Process?

Authors : Hatice AĞRALI, Fahriye PAZARCIKCI, Ayşe AYDINLI

Pages : 47-57

View : 12 | Download : 14

Publication Date : 2023-04-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: This study aimed to determine the correlation between the health literacy of mothers and parental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Method: In a cross sectional study, the researchers screened 353 mothers with children aged 0 year to 17 years using the Health Literacy Scale and the Parental Stress Scale. Results: Mean age of the mothers who took part in the study was 26.75 years. Of the mothers, 64.6% spent adequate time with their children and 31.7% stated that the pandemic had affected their relationship with their children. The study found that the mothers had a high level of health literacy and parental stress. The health literacy and subscale scores of the mothers related to parental stress were found to be moderately negative. In addition, as parental stress of the mothers increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of spending time with their children decreased and their relationship with their children was negatively affected. Conclusion and Recommendation: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mothers with a higher level of health literacy had a lower level of parental stress. The increase in parental stress in the mothers during the pandemic reduced the frequency of spending time with their children and negatively affected the mother-child relationship. In line with the results of the study, the researchers recommended to organize programs that might improve the health literacy level of mothers and reduce parental stress. It is expected that these programs will contribute to the protection of children’s health.
Keywords : COVID 19, Ebeveynlik stresi, Sağlık okuryazarlığı, Stres