UAB Study Highlights Mental Health of Parents Juggling Unemployment

By Tehreem Khan | UAB News Family dynamics are critical to mental well-being, and this role became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic as families were bound to stay together longer than usual. A recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that parents who had work disruptions, unemployment or children in remote school saw an increase in depressive symptoms. The study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, also showed a significant decrease in mental health among single parents with work disruptions or without paid work, single parents with children in remote school, fathers without paid work, and white parents with children in remote school. Mieke Beth Thomeer, Ph.D. (Photography: Lexi Coon) “We explored the consequences of the pandemic on working parents by examining the health outcomes of parents who faced unemployment, work disruptions and virtual schooling for their children,” said Mieke Beth Thomeer, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Sociology and lead author on the study. “Looking at parents’ mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that experiencing work disruptions or having kids in remote school harmed their mental health. We expect that work...