COVID-19 restrictions: experiences of immigrant parents in Toronto

Abstract

Parenting is a demanding undertaking, requiring continuous vigilance to ensure children’s emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. It has become even more challenging in the context of COVID-19 restrictions that have led to drastic changes in family life. Based on the results of a qualitative interpretive descriptive study that aimed to understand the experiences of immigrants living in apartment buildings in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, this paper reports the experiences of 50 immigrant parents. During the summer and fall of 2020, semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone or virtually, audio-recorded, then translated and transcribed. The transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results revealed that parenting experiences during the pandemic entailed dealing with changing relationships, coping with added burdens and pressures, living in persistent fear and anxiety, and rethinking lifestyles and habits. Amid these changes and challenges, some parents managed to create opportunities for their children to improve their diet, take a break from their rushed lives, get in touch with their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and spend more quality time with their family. While immigrant parents exhibit remarkable resilience in dealing with the pandemic-related meso and macro-levels restrictions, funding and programs are urgently needed to support them in addressing the impact of these at the micro level.