Children’s Anxiety and Factors Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study Using the Children’s Anxiety Questionnaire and the Numerical Rating Scale

Avila, Marla Andréia Garcia de; Filho, Pedro Tadao Hamamoto; Jacob, Francine Letícia da Silva; Alcantara, Léia Regina Souza; Berghammer, Malin; Nolbris, Margaretha Jenholt; Olaya‐Contreras, Patricia; Nilsson, Stefan

doi:10.3390/ijerph17165757

Cited by 138 publications

(170 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Garcia de Avila et al [ 14 ] found that 21.8% of children aged 6–12 years suffered from anxiety, out of the 289 participants in an online cross-sectional survey reported by guardians. Anxiety was higher among children having parents with essential jobs and those who were social distancing without parents, more persons living together in the home, and lower education level of guardians.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Lockdown and Quarantine Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic on Children, Adolescents and Caregivers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Panda¹,

Gupta

Chowdhury

et al. 2020

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics

491

462

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Background During the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, psychological problems like anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings, inattention and sleep disturbance are fairly common among quarantined children in several studies. A systematic review of these publications to provide an accurate burden of these psychiatric/behavioral problems is needed for planning mitigating measures by the health authorities. Methods Different electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, medRxiv and bioRxiv) were searched for articles describing psychological/behavioral complications in children/adolescents with/without pre-existing behavioral abnormalities and their caregivers related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only original articles with/without comparator arms and a minimum sample size of 50 were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate of various psychological/behavioral problems was calculated using a random-effect meta-analysis. Results Fifteen studies describing 22 996 children/adolescents fulfilled the eligibility criteria from a total of 219 records. Overall, 34.5%, 41.7%, 42.3% and 30.8% of children were found to be suffering from anxiety, depression, irritability and inattention. Although the behavior/psychological state of a total of 79.4% of children was affected negatively by the pandemic and quarantine, at least 22.5% of children had a significant fear of COVID-19, and 35.2% and 21.3% of children had boredom and sleep disturbance. Similarly, 52.3% and 27.4% of caregivers developed anxiety and depression, respectively, while being in isolation with children. Conclusion Anxiety, depression, irritability, boredom, inattention and fear of COVID-19 are predominant new-onset psychological problems in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children with pre-existing behavioral problems like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have a high probability of worsening of their behavioral symptoms.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Lockdown and Quarantine Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic on Children, Adolescents and Caregivers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Panda¹,

Gupta

Chowdhury

et al. 2020

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics

491

462

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“…Forty five studies (63%) were high-quality (eTables 3 to 7); 23 cohort studies, 22-44 17 cross-sectional, 46,48,52,54,56,59,61,62,64,65,67,71-74,76,78 4 pre-post, 82,83,91-93 and 1 modelling study. 94 Eighteen (25%) were medium-quality; 13 cross sectional, 49-51,53,55,57,58,60,66,68,70,75,77 and 5 pre-post studies. 85,86,88-90 Nine (13%) were low-quality; 1 cohort, 45 3 cross sectional, 47,63,69 and 5 pre-post studies 79-81,84,87…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of school closures on physical and mental health of children and young people: a systematic review

Viner

Russell

Saulle

et al. 2021

Preprint

102

101

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Background The well-documented links between education and health mean that school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be associated with significant health harms to children and young people (CYP). A systematic review of the evidence is needed to inform policy decisions around school closures and re-openings during the pandemic. Methods We undertook a high-quality systematic review of observational quantitative studies (published or preprint) of the impacts of school closures (for any reason) on the health, wellbeing and educational outcomes of CYP, excluding impacts of closure on transmission of infection (PROSPERO CRD42020181658). We used a machine learning approach for screening articles, with decisions on inclusion and data extraction performed independently by 2 researchers. Quality was assessed for study type. A narrative synthesis of results was undertaken as data did not allow meta-analysis. Results 16,817 records were screened, of which 151 were reviewed in full-text and 72 studies were included from 20 countries. 33% were cohort studies using historical control periods; 19% pre-post studies; and 46% cross-sectional studies which assessed change by comparison with population reference data. 63% were high-quality, 25% medium-quality and 13% low-quality. Cause of closure in all studies was the first COVID-19 pandemic wave with the exception of 5 influenza studies and 1 teacher strike. 27 studies concerning mental health identified considerable impacts across emotional, behavioural and restlessness/inattention problems; 18-60% of CYP scored above risk thresholds for distress, particularly anxiety and depressive symptoms. Two studies reported non-significant rises in suicide rates. Self-harm and psychiatric attendances were markedly reduced, indicating a rise in unmet mental health need. Child protection referrals fell 27-39%, with a halving of the expected number of referrals originating in schools. 19 studies concerning health service use showed marked reductions in emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions, with evidence of delayed presentations and potential widening of inequalities in vaccination coverage. Data suggested marked rises in screen-time and social media use and reductions in physical activity however data on sleep and diet were inconclusive. Available data suggested likely higher harms in CYP from more deprived populations. Conclusions School closures as part of broader social distancing measures are associated with considerable harms to CYP health and wellbeing. Available data are short-term and longer-term harms are likely to be magnified by further school closures. Data are urgently needed on longer-term impacts using strong research designs, particularly amongst vulnerable groups. These findings are important for policy-makers seeking to balance the risks of transmission through school-aged children with the harms of closing schools.

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“…High levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms were recently replicated by Duan et al [ 20 ]. Two non-representative studies from India with children and adolescents aged 5–18 years [ 21 , 22 ] and one study from Brazil with children and adolescents from 6 to 12 years [ 23 ] underline the negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children. They found that children and adolescents experienced severe psychological distress such as worries, helplessness, anxiety and fear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany

Ravens-Sieberer

Kaman

Erhart

et al. 2021

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

758

658

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the lives of 1.6 billion children and adolescents. First non-representative studies from China, India, Brazil, the US, Spain, Italy, and Germany pointed to a negative mental health impact. The current study is the first nationwide representative study to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health of children and adolescents in Germany from the perspective of children themselves. A representative online survey was conducted among n = 1586 families with 7- to 17-year-old children and adolescents between May 26 and June 10. The survey included internationally established and validated instruments for measuring HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ), anxiety (SCARED), and depression (CES-DC). Results were compared with data from the nationwide, longitudinal, representative BELLA cohort study (n = 1556) conducted in Germany before the pandemic. Two-thirds of the children and adolescents reported being highly burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic. They experienced significantly lower HRQoL (40.2% vs. 15.3%), more mental health problems (17.8% vs. 9.9%) and higher anxiety levels (24.1% vs. 14.9%) than before the pandemic. Children with low socioeconomic status, migration background and limited living space were affected significantly more. Health promotion and prevention strategies need to be implemented to maintain children’s and adolescents’ mental health, improve their HRQoL, and mitigate the burden caused by COVID-19, particularly for children who are most at risk.

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Children’s Anxiety and Factors Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study Using the Children’s Anxiety Questionnaire and the Numerical Rating Scale

Cited by 138 publications

References 37 publications

Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Lockdown and Quarantine Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic on Children, Adolescents and Caregivers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Lockdown and Quarantine Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic on Children, Adolescents and Caregivers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Impacts of school closures on physical and mental health of children and young people: a systematic review

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany

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