Family Resilience Predicts COVID-19 Psychopathology in Youth With Perinatal Maternal Adversity

Background: While previous research has extensively documented the COVID‑19 pandemic’s negative impact on youth mental health, less attention has been given towards identifying markers of resilience as a protective factor against pandemic-related stressors. This study examined the role of perinatal stress in youth psychopathology outcomes and indicators of psychological resilience during the pandemic. Methods: Longitudinal data were drawn from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) multi-site birth cohort, using multiple informants’ assessments (i.e., mothers, youth) collected before and during the COVID‑19 pandemic from 115 youth aged 9–18 years (50.4% males; Mage = 14.4 years). Latent factor modeling examined relationships between prenatal maternal affective symptoms, perinatal socio-environmental adversity, pandemic-related family and youth resilience, and youth psychopathology. Results: We found a significant interaction between prenatal maternal affective symptoms and pandemic-related internalizing psychopathology under conditions of low maternal-reported family resilience. Additionally, several main effects of family resilience—specifically family organization patterns, caregiver support, and primary control coping—were associated with reduced youth psychopathology during the pandemic. Conclusion: These findings highlight the protective role of family resilience in mitigating youth psychopathology amidst pandemic-related stressors. This study emphasizes the importance of caregiver support and structured family organization patterns in shaping effective mitigation strategies during global crises.