The Pandemic Parenting Podcast

Pandemic Parenting
The Pandemic Parenting Podcast

Co-founders of Pandemic Parenting, Dr. Lindsay Malloy and Dr. Amanda Zelechoski, are two psychologists, scholars, and moms who share science-based resources and insights to help all who care for children navigate this pandemic, together. Join us for conversations with experts in the fields of psychology, child development, mental health, and trauma speaking to the pressing parenting questions we all have.

  1. Parenting Teens Through a Pandemic with Dr. Crystal Burwell

    08/16/2022

    Parenting Teens Through a Pandemic with Dr. Crystal Burwell

    The teen years involve a lot of physical, social, and cognitive change for our kids. As parents, we might expect challenges as our children grow into their independence, but for parents of teens during the pandemic, these challenges were often exacerbated by so much uncertainty.  In this episode, Dr. Amanda Zelechoski takes a look at some of the latest research findings on teenagers during the pandemic, and talks with Dr. Crystal Burwell, a licensed psychotherapist, and several parents of teens. Together, they discuss: How has parenting teens changed in the last few years? How have parent and teen relationships been impacted by the pandemic? And how can we support our teenagers’ mental health and recognize the toll the pandemic years have had on our kids?  Additional Resources 12 Things Parents Can Do to Help Prevent Suicide (American Academy of Pediatrics) Five skills parents can learn so they can help their children cope by Katherine Reynolds Lewis (The Washington Post) How do I keep my children safe online? Advice from the front lines, including teens themselves by Jennifer Jolly (USA Today) The Unique Challenge of Raising Teenagers Right Now by Molly Jong-Fast (The Atlantic) Eating Disorder Warning Signs & Symptoms (National Eating Disorders Association) Identity & Eating Disorders (National Eating Disorder Association) U.S. Suicide Prevention Resources: 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255) - The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - U.S. Suicide Prevention Resources - U.S. (Youth.gov) Canada Suicide Prevention Resources: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) - Suicide Crisis Phone Line - Canada British Colombia Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789 (24 hours) Suicide Prevention Resources - Canada (Mental Health Commission of Canada) Dr. Burwell’s website Meet Our Guest Expert Dr. Crystal Burwell is a licensed professional counselor, writer, educator, and public speaker. She's a native of Raleigh NC, where she received her doctorate in counselor education. Her research focuses on disordered eating and marginalized communities. Dr. Burwell's clinical specialties include eating disorders, mood & anxiety disorders, ADHD, and trauma. Her mission is to provide culturally competent mental health treatment that is inclusive, accessible, and clinically exceptional. Her mission is to help others find their voice and live their best life.

  2. 07/12/2022

    Generation COVID Pt.2: Childbirth and Parent Mental Health

    Welcome back to our Generation COVID series where we’re exploring the impact of the pandemic on pregnant and postpartum parents.  In this episode, we’re focusing on childbirth and parent mental health. Dr. Amanda Zelechoski interviews Dr. Sharon Dekel and three parents. Together they discuss the pandemic impact on child birthing experiences, the increase in traumatic child births, and the overall mental health challenges new parents have faced in these uncertain times. Additional Resources Preeclampsia Foundation 7 Symptoms Every Pregnant Woman Should Know (Preeclampsia Foundation) 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS – National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Línea Nacional de Asistencia de Salud Mental Materna Para Mamás Primerizas y Embarazadas For some women giving birth in the pandemic, the trauma led to personal growth by Juli Fraga (The Washington Post) Meet Our Guests Dr. Sharon Dekel is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Psychiatry Department at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Postpartum Traumatic Stress Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is known internationally for her research on childbirth-related posttraumatic stress. Her work, which has been continually supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), brings together clinical and developmental psychology, psychophysiology, neuroscience, and machine learning to develop novel screening and interventions for at-risk individuals. Her current project examines the maternal brain and the neural profile that underlies childbirth-related PTSD. She also serves as the principal investigator of the Mothers Wellness study that assesses traumatic childbirth in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Dekel is a two time recipient of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation’s Young Investigator Award; of Harvard’s Mind Brain Behavior Awards; and of Mass General's Executive Committee On Research Awards. She was awarded the MGH's Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award for Women in Science and the Postpartum Support International Susan A. Hickman Memorial Research Award for excellence in scientific work on postpartum mental health. Dr. Dekel earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. She then completed her clinical internship training at Columbia Medical Center and continued to a research postdoctoral fellowship in a lead trauma lab in Israel. Her prior work on the human capacity to thrive in the wake of trauma is considered pioneering in the field. Dr. Dekel also has a private practice in which she treats peripartum individuals. Many thanks to parents Jillian, Stacey, and Dan for sharing their pandemic childbirth and mental health stories in this episode.

  3. Struggles and Strengths: Honoring Pandemic Motherhood

    05/10/2022

    Struggles and Strengths: Honoring Pandemic Motherhood

    Last month, we heard from researchers about the uneven effects of the pandemic on families. In this episode, we hear directly from parents about some of their unique challenges. We also talk with scientists who identified related trends in their research and share some ideas about what families can do. Dr. Amanda Zelechoski talks with Dr. Heather Prime and Dr. Nicole Racine about their research findings, including the mental health impact of the pandemic on mothers specifically, some barriers single parents and co-parents face, and what all of this means for the family unit as a whole. Included in this episode about pandemic motherhood: - how the pandemic affected mother’s mental health - how the parents navigated the pandemic lockdowns as couples, co-parents, and single parents - stories from listeners about their challenges and silver linings during the pandemic Additional Resources - SHEcovery - A Roadmap to Address COVID-19’s Impact on Women and Girls (Chicago Foundation for Women) - COVID-19 stress toll is a family affair: 4 ways to support mothers' mental health by Nicole Racine, Erin Hetherington, Sheri Madigan, and Suzanne Tough (The Conversation) - 4 Tips for Improving Family Wellness (The Globe and Mail) - Child and youth mental health problems have doubled during COVID-19 by Nicole Racine, Brae Anne McArthur, and Sheri Madigan (The Conversation) - Infographic: COVID-19 and Stress in Families (Prime Lab) - Infographic: Love Together, Parent Together: Supporting Couples During COVID-19 (Prime Lab) Meet Our Guests Heather Prime, Ph.D., C. Psych. joined the Department of Psychology at York University as an assistant professor in 2020. She is a child psychologist and researcher with a specialization in mental health from a family systems perspective. She is passionate about the interconnections between the well-being of family members and relationships. She studies how families can themselves serve as an island of strength and resilience for children during challenging times. She uses this approach in designing evidence-based interventions for children and families that aim to strengthen family relationships, and in her work with families in the community in her role as a clinical psychologist. Nicole Racine, Ph.D., R. Psych. is a clinical psychologist and Independent Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada. She received her PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at York University, including a residency in Clinical and Pediatric Child Psychology at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. In collaboration with community and interdisciplinary partners, her research program examines the impact of childhood adversity on child mental health and wellbeing, how this adversity is transmitted across generations, and what prevention and intervention strategies can promote resilience despite these experiences. Dr. Racine is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the Governor General’s Gold Medal Award for her doctoral studies (2017) as well as the Canadian Psychological Association President’s New Researcher Award (2021). She is also the recipient of two knowledge engagement awards for her collaborative community-based projects.

  4. How Families Experienced Uneven Effects of the Pandemic

    04/05/2022

    How Families Experienced Uneven Effects of the Pandemic

    When pandemic lockdowns began, researchers around the world were asking a lot of questions and collecting lots – and lots – of data. What was the impact of the pandemic on mental health, both short-term and long-term? Which communities experienced the most negative effects of the pandemic? How can we better support these communities, and the entirety of our society, when disaster strikes next? In this episode, Dr. Amanda Zelechoski spoke with two researchers about their recent studies that start to answer many of these questions. You’ll hear from Dr. Lara Aknin, a psychologist and head of The Lancet’s COVID-19 Mental Health Task Force, and Dr. Simona Skripkauskaite, who works with the University of Oxford’s Co-SPACE study (COVID-19: Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children During Pandemics). Additional Resources about the Uneven Effects of the Pandemic The Pandemic Did Not Affect Mental Health the Way You Think by Lara Aknin, Jamil Zaki, and Elizabeth Dunn (The Atlantic) The Lancet COVID-19 Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing Dr. Aknin's Helping and Happiness Lab - Simon Fraser University Co-Space Study: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics Meet Our Guests Dr. Lara Aknin is a Distinguished Associate Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, former Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and editor of the World Happiness Report.  She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Aknin’s research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of happiness and prosocial behavior. Most of her work examines how generous behavior makes people feel. Her research has been published in various academic journals, including Science, Nature Human Behaviour, the Lancet Public Health, as well as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and has been covered in international media outlets such as the CBC, CNN, the Atlantic, Maclean’s Magazine, Forbes, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Simona Skripkauskaite is a PostDoctoral Researcher at University of Oxford and works for Oxford’s Co-SPACE study (COVID-19: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children During Pandemics) and the OxWell Student Survey. Dr. Skripkauskaite also leads a project on ‘Learning from the trajectories of mental health challenges for children, young people and parents over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic’, which will compare how families have been affected by the pandemic in the UK and Japan.  Overall, Dr. Skripkauskaite’s research to date has aimed to identify developmental processes underlying successful functioning, but has ranged across child and adolescent mental health, emotion regulation, and parent-child relationships, as well as neurodiversity, visual attention, and perception.

    49 min
5
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Co-founders of Pandemic Parenting, Dr. Lindsay Malloy and Dr. Amanda Zelechoski, are two psychologists, scholars, and moms who share science-based resources and insights to help all who care for children navigate this pandemic, together. Join us for conversations with experts in the fields of psychology, child development, mental health, and trauma speaking to the pressing parenting questions we all have.

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