Michigan Ross Professor Wayne Baker says the coronavirus pandemic has left many people feeling uncertain and anxious, which complicates their ability to make decisions. This is particularly relevant for parents weighing back-to-school options for their children.

In a new Psychology Today article, “Reopening Schools and Parental Dilemmas,” Baker recommends that parents utilize “proactive coping” to identify possible future stressors and work to prevent or reduce them.

For example, parents can plan for what they’ll do if there’s an outbreak at their child’s university and prepare accordingly.

“By looking ahead, parents (and students) can prepare contingency plans now for possible future scenarios,” Baker writes. “Having this plan reduces uncertainty about the future; without it, parents might be confronted suddenly with difficult problems and little time to think about adaptive responses.”

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Wayne Baker is the Robert P. Thome Professor of Management and Organizations and the faculty director of the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He is also a professor of sociology and a faculty associate at U-M’s Institute for Social Research. His latest book is All You Have to Do is Ask.

Media contact: Bridget Vis, Public Relations Specialist, visb@umich.edu