ArticleJournal of general and family medicine2026
Psychological Distress and Self-Rated Health Among Single Fathers and Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.
Article in Journal of general and family medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health burdens, particularly for vulnerable populations. Single parents face unique preexisting challenges, and their health during the pandemic remains insufficiently investigated. We aimed to compare psychological distress and self-rated health (SRH) between single and partnered parents during the pandemic, considering the influence of socioeconomic factors. Methods: We analyzed the data of 16,028 parents aged 18-50 years with children aged 14 years or younger from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS) 2020-2022. Psychological distress (Kessler K6 scale, ≥ 5) and SRH (very poor or poor) were compared between single (200 single fathers/1330 single mothers) and partnered parents using chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. Furthermore, household structure, annual household income, occupation, and working hours were stratified for the analysis. Results: Across 2020-2022, psychological distress and poor SRH were significantly more prevalent among single parents than among partnered parents. Single parents also reported lower income and higher nonregular employment. These disparities persisted across the stratifications. Multivariable logistic regression confirmed higher adjusted odds ratios for psychological distress (single fathers: 1.50-2.18; single mothers: 1.23-1.66) and poor SRH (single fathers: 0.74-2.93; single mothers: 1.26-1.79) associated with single-parent status. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, single parents in Japan experienced greater psychological distress and poorer SRH than partnered ones, highlighting their heightened vulnerability. Therefore, targeted support, particularly addressing economic hardship, is crucial to mitigate these health disparities and improve the resilience of single-parent households during public health emergencies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.