Abstract
This portfolio comprises two different topics that captured the researcher's interests whilst working clinically in child and adult services during the COVID-19 lockdown. Part one of the portfolio presents a meta-synthesis exploring parents' experiences of limiting screen-time with their children. Working in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in 2021, the researcher became aware of requests from worried and exhausted parents for information and strategies for limiting their child's screen-time. Parents noted the conflict they frequently encountered over screen-time limits, which were exacerbated by the lockdown. The researcher found conflicting guidance which seemed at odds with the realities of parenting and family life, creating a dilemma in knowing how best to support parents. The researcher set out to explore parents' experiences of limiting screen-time and the strategies that worked in achieving this aim. The results of this review suggested that parents negotiating screen-time limits within their families could be a more feasible approach to specific cut-offs. There is a need for services to help parents build their confidence in deciding what is healthy for their family and in setting and implementing boundaries.
Part two presents an empirical paper investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of young Black adults. This was a timely project with personal relevance to the researcher. The publication of reports on the unequal impact of the pandemic on Black lives led the researcher to question how the experience of the pandemic affected the well-being of young Black adults. The study's findings indicated that the pandemic contributed to participants’ experiences of racial trauma and feelings of hypervisibility. These experiences seemed consequential to their self-identity and central to their self-concept. Participants attempted to improve their well-being, self-esteem, and self-identity by engaging with Black History and acts of solidarity and activism.