School‐age adopted children's early responses to remote schooling during COVID‐19

• Published date: 01 February 2022
• Author: Abbie E. Goldberg,Nora McCormick,Haylie Virginia
• Date: 01 February 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12612

RESEARCH

School-age adopted children’s early responses to

remote schooling during COVID-19

AbbieE.Goldberg | NoraMcCormick | HaylieVirginia

Department of Psychology, Clark University,

Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

Correspondence

Abbie E. Goldberg, Department of

Psychology, Clark University, 950 Main

Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01610 USA.

Email: agoldberg@clarku.edu

Abstract

Objective: This mixed-methods exploratory study sought

to address the experiences of 89 adoptive parents (hetero-

sexual, lesbian, and gay) in the United States with school-

age children in relation to the transition to remote schooling

and their children’s mental health during the early part of the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The transition to remote schooling and asso-

ciated confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic pre-

sents challenges for families, particularly when children

are struggling with mental health and learning challenges.

Methods: Data were collected via an online survey between

May and June 2020. Before the pandemic, almost half of

the children received special education services.

Results: Findings revealed that although a minority of chil-

dren were doing well with remote schooling, the majority

were struggling due to lack of motivation and an inability

to work independently. Some parents voiced challenges

with teacher communication and inconsistencies across

classes and were overwhelmed by the demands of their

new role as proctor/teacher. Some were dissatisfied with

how children’s school services had been implemented and

noted difficulties with the online format of various services

(e.g., therapy was less engaging). Regarding children’s

mental health, half of parents said it had stayed the same,

one third said it had worsened, and the remainder said it

had improved. The mental health of children adopted via

foster care seemed to have benefited from the additional

time spent at home. Yet most children were described as

struggling in part due to social isolation and loss of rou-

tine, which manifested in a variety of ways, including anxi-

ety, schoolwork avoidance, and boundary testing. Most

parents tried to show patience, tolerance, and reassurance,

but more than one third reported stress and frustration

Received: 31 March 2021Revised: 7 August 2021Accepted: 17 September 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12612

© 2021 National Council on Family Relations.

68 Family Relations. 2022;71:68–89.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

associated with not knowing how to best support their

children.

Conclusion: The transition to remote schooling during

COVID-19 may be especially challenging for adoptive

families and other families whose children have higher

levels of need.

Implications: Findings have implications for parents,

teachers, school social workers and psychologists, and

other professionals who work with children and families.

KEYWORDS

children, COVID-19, education, mental health, remote learning

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents challenges to children, families,

and schools. This exploratory study addressed how a diverse group of adoptive families with

school-age children in the United States navigated the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic

and home confinement, attending in particular to families’remote learning experiences and

children’s well-being. It highlights how a potentially higher needs population, like adoptive

families, has managed during the COVID-19 crisis. Findings have implications for professionals

who seek to guide and engage parents whose children are learning remotely—and particularly

children with mental health and learning challenges who are doing so.

COVID-19 IN THE UNITED STATES

The first confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States was reported on January 21, 2020

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Although the outbreak appeared to be con-

tained throughout February, it accelerated rapidly in March and April (Schuchat, 2020). Dur-

ing March and April, most state governments in the United States issued shelter-in-placeor

stay-at-home orders as a means of combating the coronavirus. Specifically, individuals were

asked to stay at home and, if they had to leave for necessities (e.g., to buy groceries), to practice

physical distancing from other people as much as possible. Between March 1 and May

31, 2021, 42 states issued mandatory stay-at-home orders (Moreland et al., 2020). By March

25, 2020, all public schools in the United States had closed and switched to a remote learning

model in response to the growing threat of COVID-19. Schools in all but two states, Wyoming

and Montana, remained closed through the end of the school year (Education Week, 2021).

Like states’responses generally, school reopening plans were much more varied in terms of their

timing, and what they required of students and staff (e.g., mask wearing or not), and were

influenced by local political attitudes (Valant, 2020).

CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH AMIDST COVID-19

Children who are exposed to major public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk

for mental health difficulties (Child Trends, 2020) in part because events like the coronavirus

outbreak are highly disruptive to their lives—children face threats to their structure, routine,

and emotional and academic stability in such situations. Youth who experience early adversity

or trauma and children who struggle with emotional instability are at risk for poorer outcomes

(Child Trends, 2020); notably, this risk can be mitigated by information, education, comfort,

and support, such as that from parents and schools (Oral et al., 2015).

ADOPTED CHILDREN’S AND REMOTE SCHOOLING DURING COVID-1969