Parents report worse mental health now than at the beginning of the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic is taking a toll on everyone, and a new survey finds that more than a quarter of parents say their mental health has worsened since March. The poll, which collected responses from around 1,000 people, also found that 1 in 7 parents reported worsening behavioral problems in their children. About a quarter of all families reported losing child care since March. One in 10 families reported both worsening child behavior and worse mental health among parents. Of this group, half reported losing regular child care since March. Many of the parents surveyed also reported more food insecurity now compared to the start of the pandemic, and also that their child was no longer covered by employer-sponsored insurance compared to March.