The impact of COVID-19 on households with children: a comprehensive approach

The COVID-19 pandemic has lowered the standard of living for millions of people, especially children. The aim of this research is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on children's standard of living. Specifically, this study focuses on children residing in the Region of Murcia (Spain). The hypothesis of the study is that children living in households at risk of social exclusion have suffered the social consequences of the pandemic to a greater extent. A scale has been developed to determine the degree of the impact of COVID-19 on five basic functionings: food, education, dwelling, social relations, and health. Among the most noteworthy results, we found that children in households at risk of social exclusion were more impacted by COVID-19 in three of the five functionings. Deprivation was more intense in social relations and health, with higher levels observed in households at risk of social exclusion in all the functionings, except social relations.