Parental Resilience in a Bushfire to Pandemic Context: An Ecological Systems Approach

In the context of disaster, parents and caregivers are both personally impacted and responsible for supporting their children’s resilience. Concerningly, little is known about lived experiences of parenting during disasters. In this qualitative study, we aimed to understand how parents fostered parenting and child resilience in back-to-back disasters: the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we explored how factors across a family’s socio-ecological system enhanced or compromised parenting resilience. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with eight parents who were impacted by both events. Interviews were coded and analysed inductively using the Framework Method and themes were mapped to a socio-ecological model. Parents described the key individual factors impacting their parental resilience as their personal mental health and coping strategies. To support their children, parents employed strategies such as establishing routine and safety, minimising disaster exposure, regulating their own emotions, and drawing on prior knowledge and experience. Parents described interpersonal relationships and community as key to emotional, practical, and financial support, with schools playing a significant role in promoting resilience. In contrast, parents reported that organisations such as charities and government services generally failed to meet family-specific needs. Findings highlight modifiable, multi-level socio-ecological factors that could be considered to promote parenting resilience and safeguard the wellbeing of both parents and their children in future disasters.