Table 1 List of variables.

Outcome variable

 Level of coping

‘Level of coping’ was assessed using the survey question “How well do you think you are coping?” with a 5-point response scale ranging from “1 = not at all to 5 = extremely well” with higher scores indicating a greater degree of coping. From the responses, we created a binary variable: Scores 1–3 ‘not at all’, ‘a little’ and fairly well (coded as 0, 'low') and scores 4–5, ‘very well’ and ‘extremely well’ (coded as 1, 'high')

Main explanatory variables—cash transfer payments

 Coronavirus supplement

Whether the respondent received any financial support from the Australian Government during the pandemic in Australia. Responses were 'Yes' (coded as 1) and 'No' (coded as 0). Note that the Coronavirus Supplements were additional payments for people on various forms of welfare prior to the pandemic

 JobKeeper payment

Whether the participant received the JobKeeper payment during the pandemic. Responses were 'Yes' (coded as 1) and 'No' (coded as 0). Note that the JobKeeper Payment scheme supported Australian businesses, NGOs and sole traders to support employees’ salaries, on the condition that the organisation could demonstrate reduced income over certain periods.–The JobKeeper payment finished on 28 March 2021

Co-variates

 Gender

Gender was categorized into ‘Female’ (coded as 0) and ‘Male’ (coded as 1)

 Employment status

Employment was categorized into ‘unemployed’ (coded as 0) and ‘employed’ (coded as 1)

 Area

From the responses, we created a binary variable ‘Area’- 'inner regional', 'outer regional', 'remote' and 'very remote' were combined as 'regional/remote' (coded as 1), while 'major cities' were coded as '0'

 IRSAD quintiles

The Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD, in quintiles, Q1-Q5) from the Socioeconomic Indices for Areas (SEIFA) was used to estimate area-level SES. A lowest IRSAD index (Quintile 1, 0–20%) signifies most disadvantaged, and highest IRSAD index (Quintile 5, 80–100%) indicates most advantaged

 Household members

Number of household members were categorised into: ‘minimum 2 members’ (coded as 0), ‘3+ members’ (coded as 1)

 Family cohesion

Family cohesion was estimated by the following item—‘Does [study child’s] family get along well with each other?’ In this study, we created a binary variable ‘family cohesion’. Those who responded, ‘very good’ or ‘good’ were classified as ‘High’ (coded as 1), while ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ were termed as ‘Low’ (coded as 0)

 Smoking

Whether the respondent smoked in the last 4 weeks: ‘Yes’ (coded as 1) and ‘No’ (coded as 0)

 Alcohol

Whether the respondent consumed alcohol in the last 4 weeks: ‘Yes’ (coded as 1) and ‘No’ (coded as 0)

 Pre-existing mental disorders

Whether the participant has any of the following self-reported mental disorder ADHD, Anxiety, Depression and/or Autism. From Yes/No responses, we created a new binary variable—‘Pre-existing mental disorders’, and coded 'No' as 0 and ‘Yes’ as 1

 COVID-19 tested

Whether the respondent ever tested positive for COVID-19. The response categories were 'Yes' (coded as 1) and 'No' (coded as 0)

 Isolation during COVID-19 pandemic

Whether the study participant was in isolation during the pandemic. Responses were 'Yes' (coded as 1) and 'No' (coded as 0)