The aim of the present study was to examine parental experiences of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic in families with or without a child with a mental health condition across Europe. The study included 6720 parents (2002 parents with a child with a mental health condition and 4718 without) from seven European countries: the United Kingdom (n=508), Sweden (n=1436), Spain (n=1491), Belgium (n=508), the Netherlands (n=324), Germany (n=1662) and Italy (n=794). Many parents found homeschooling to be of poor quality, with insufficient support from schools and general negative effects on both children and parents. In most countries, online teaching was uncommon, leaving parents with primary responsibility for managing their child’s schooling. Parents also reported increased levels of stress, worry, social isolation, and domestic conflict. A small number of parents reported increased parental alcohol/drug use. Some differences were found between countries and some effects were more pronounced in families with a child with a mental health condition. However, group differences were generally small, indicating that negative effects were present in many families across countries. It should also be noted that some parents reported positive effects of homeschooling for their child or themselves. The adverse effects of homeschooling will likely have a long-term impact and contribute to increased inequalities. Given that school closures have been argued to be less effective than other social distancing interventions, policymakers need to carefully consider the negative consequences of homeschooling during a possible second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
Psychosocial effects of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic: Differences between seven European countries and between children with and without mental health conditions