Calling for the integration of children's mental health and protection into COVID-19 responses

Solerdelcoll, Mireia; Arango, Celso; Sugranyes, Gisela

doi:10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.02.004

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For most children and adolescents, the current pandemic represents a first confrontation with severe threat of disease, and potential death and grief in their lives [2][3][4].…”

Section: Effects Of the Covid-19 Pandemic On The Daily Life Of Childr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review: Longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health

Wolf

Schmitz

2022

Preprint

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the protection measures to contain its spread have massively changed daily lives of billions of children and adolescents worldwide. Objective: We conducted a systematic review to investigate the global longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on various mental health outcomes in children and adolescents over a period of one and a half years. Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The databases "PubMed", "Web of Science", and "APA PsycInfo" were searched (last access: 01/2022). Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed and published between December 2019 and December 2021, if they followed a longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional design, and if they assessed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic or a related stressor on mental health indicators. Findings: Of 7,451 identified studies, 69 studies (n ~ 130,000) meeting eligibility criteria were included in a qualitative analysis. The results indicate a general trend of decreased psychological well-being, increased psychopathological distress, and heightened symptom levels (particularly of depressive and anxiety symptoms) from before to during the pandemic. Data suggests that both the intensity of protection measures and infection dynamic were positively associated with severity of psychopathology. The most reported influencing factors on the effect of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health were age, gender, socio-economic status, previous state of mental and physical health, self-regulation abilities, parental mental health, parenting quality, family functioning, social support, isolation and loneliness, health-related worries, and consistent routines and structure. Conclusion: Our systematic review shows that children and adolescents worldwide have experienced increased psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results call for improvement in access to child and adolescent mental health care and the prioritisation of child and adolescent well-being in political decision making.

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“…For most children and adolescents, the current pandemic represents a first confrontation with severe threat of disease, and potential death and grief in their lives [2][3][4].…”

Section: Effects Of the Covid-19 Pandemic On The Daily Life Of Childr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review: Longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health

Wolf

Schmitz

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Second, no information on household income or other types of ACEs was surveyed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may be related to parental unemployment/loss of household income and high-stress home environments, thus increasing the likelihood of ACEs or emotional problems ( 63 ). We also did not collect information related to family functioning or family context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Symptom Progression in School-Aged Children After COVID-19 Home Confinement: A Longitudinal Study

et al. 2022

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BackgroundThe long-term mental health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children are rarely reported. We aimed to investigate the progression of depressive and anxiety symptoms among a cohort of children in the initial epicenter of COVID-19 in China.MethodsTwo waves of surveys were conducted in the same two primary schools in Wuhan and Huangshi, Hubei province: Wave 1 from 28 February to 5 March, 2020 (children had been confined to home for 30–40 days) and Wave 2 from 27 November to 9 December, 2020 (schools had reopened for nearly 3 months). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were estimated using the Children's Depression Inventory – Short Form (CDI-S) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), respectively. ΔCDI-S and ΔSCARED scores between Wave 2 and Wave 1 were calculated and further categorized into tertiles. Multivariable linear regression and multinomial logistic regression models were then applied.ResultsA total of 1,224 children completed both surveys. The prevalence of mental health outcomes at Wave 2 increased significantly compared to Wave 1, specifically depressive symptoms (age-standardized prevalence rates: 37.5 vs. 21.8%) and anxiety symptoms (age-standardized prevalence rates: 24.0 vs. 19.6%). Higher ΔSCARED scores were observed in females and children in Wuhan, and children with experience of neglect had higher ΔCDI-S (β = 1.12; 95% CI = 0.67–1.58) and ΔSCARED (β = 6.46; 95% CI = 4.73–8.19) scores compared with those without experience of neglect. When the Δ scores were further categorized into tertiles, similar results were found.ConclusionsThe prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms after schools resumed was increased compared with that during the home quarantine period, even though the COVID-19 pandemic was under control. Females and children in Wuhan, and also children with experience of neglect were at increased risk of mental health disorders.

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“…In our study, COVID-19 related household income loss was associated with reporting worse mental well-being among adolescents. Research shows that stressors such as family financial loss adversely affected household dynamics, worsening adolescent mental health [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Confinement among Adolescents in Catalonia: The Role of Demographic and Other COVID-Related Variables

et al. 2022

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This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social situation, self-perceived health status, and mental well-being of adolescents in Catalonia during home confinement, and to evaluate factors that are associated with poor overall mental well-being. An online cross-sectional study among a cohort of students (14–18 years old) of central Catalonia (DESKcohort) was performed during June–July 2020. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to identify variables associated with “poor overall well-being,” measured by the short version of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Out of 303 participants, 42.1% reported a decrease in family income, and 32.8% a loss of parental employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and these percentages were higher among people living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods (53.3% and 43.2%, respectively). Overall, 56.8% presented a poor overall well-being. Participants reporting a decrease in their family’s income (aPR = 1.33) and those knowing a close person or family who died of COVID-19 (aPR = 1.42) were more likely to report a poor overall well-being. This study highlights the patterns of inequality and social vulnerability for COVID-19 pandemic outcomes. Considering social inequalities, interventions are needed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and the psychological wellbeing of children and their families.

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Calling for the integration of children's mental health and protection into COVID-19 responses

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Systematic review: Longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health

Systematic review: Longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health

Psychological Symptom Progression in School-Aged Children After COVID-19 Home Confinement: A Longitudinal Study

Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Confinement among Adolescents in Catalonia: The Role of Demographic and Other COVID-Related Variables

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