Young families in Bavaria

Bavaria-wide survey of psychosocial support needs of young families

Four years ago, the coronavirus began to spread, leading to a global pandemic. Everyone’s everyday life was drastically affected and numerous aspects of individual and collective life were changed. Young families in particular found themselves in a particularly vulnerable situation due to a variety of pressures such as changes to everyday routines, increased care requirements and a lack of support services. As the impact of the pandemic gradually subsides, other social challenges such as inflation, political conflicts at home and abroad, as well as climate change, are now coming to the fore. However, there is little knowledge about how these developments affect the well-being and mental health of families and how the after-effects of the pandemic continue to impact families today.

Early psychosocial stress has been shown to have detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of children, sometimes with long-term consequences over their entire lifespan. Parental stress and mental health play a key role in this, as they can affect the relationship between parents and child in a variety of ways. It is therefore essential to focus on psychosocial stress in the context of child development and health.

As part of the “JuFaBY” (Young Families in Bavaria) project, over 13,000 families with children up to primary school age in Bavaria have already been analysed. The aim is to investigate the mental health of parents and children as well as parental stress and current psychosocial stress factors. The survey is conducted digitally via the “My paediatrician” app and can be completed conveniently on a smartphone in just a few minutes. The findings should not only reveal the current stress levels of young families, but also serve to better adapt support services to the needs of families with young children in Bavaria.

The study builds on the previous “CoronabaBY” project, which focussed on young families during the pandemic. The results of “CoronabaBY” are already available and can be viewed in scientific publications under the following links

Link to the scientific article
Link to the scientific article

The first results of the new “JuFaBY” study, which is still ongoing, will be published shortly.