Identity integration matters: the case of parents working from home during the COVID-19 health emergency

Abstract

Since February 2020, the world has faced a health emergency due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Two of the first measures adopted by most countries to ensure social distancing were the closure of schools and childcare services, and the mandate to work from home. Millions of parents, while facing the threat of the virus infection, suddenly found themselves locked down in their homes managing workload and care load in single “crowded” spaces. This study tested whether relevant identity structures and individual differences (i.e., work-parent identity integration, identification with family, and identification with work) and contextual factors (i.e., work demands, family demands, and housing conditions) predicted parents’ professional, parental, and mental health outcomes during the lockdown. Data collected in April-2020 from 432 Italian parents working from home during the strict lockdown showed that the main predictor of all outcomes is work-parent identity integration. We provide recommendations for how professionals and organizations can support parents working from home due to COVID-19 or in future lockdowns.