Nearly 3 in 10 parents said their child is experiencing mental or emotional health issues due to social distancing and coronavirus closures, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday.
In addition to the 29 percent of U.S. parents who said their child is already experiencing emotional or mental harm, 14 percent said they could only follow social distancing guidelines for “a few more weeks” before their child’s emotional or mental health suffers, based on the poll.
Twenty-three percent said they can follow social distancing for “a few more months” and 33 percent said for “as long as is necessary” before their child’s emotional or mental health suffers, based on the poll.
Parents with less than a college degree are more likely than those with a college degree or higher to say their child’s emotional or mental health is already suffering, at 33 percent compared to 23 percent, based on the poll.
The result is based on interviews with 1,232 parents. Ninety-seven percent of parents polled said their child’s school is closed.
The results are based on self-administered web surveys conducted May 11-24. The margin or error is 6 percentage points, and Gallup notes that the margin of error for subgroups is higher.