COVID-19 vaccine intentions in Australia

Measey

Hoq

et al. 2022

bmjpo

BackgroundThere are calls for research into the mental health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia’s initial, effective suppression of COVID-19 offers insights into these indirect impacts in the relative absence of the disease. We aimed to describe the mental health experiences of Australian caregivers and children over 12 months, reporting differences related to demographic, socioeconomic and lockdown characteristics.MethodsData were from Australia’s only nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey of caregivers with children (0–17 years). N=2020 caregivers participated in June 2020, N=1434 in September 2020 and N=2508 in July 2021. Caregivers reported their mental health (poor vs not, Kessler-6), and perceived impacts of the pandemic on theirs and their children’s mental health (negative vs none/positive). Data were weighted to approximate population distributions of caregiver age, gender, sole caregiving, number and ages of children, state/territory and neighbourhood-level disadvantage.ResultsPerceived impacts on mental health were more frequently negative for female (vs male) caregivers and older (vs younger) children. Poor caregiver mental health (Kessler-6) was more common for families experiencing socioeconomic adversity (especially financial), while perceived impacts were more frequently negative for more socially advantaged groups. Caregivers who experienced the least total lockdown reported similar mental health over time. Otherwise, poor mental health and perceived negative impacts increased over time with increasing total length of lockdown.ConclusionDespite Australia’s low infection rates, the negative mental health experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic are real and concerning. Addressing poor mental health must be central to ongoing pandemic recovery efforts for families and children.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child and caregiver mental health during 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: findings from national repeated cross-sectional surveys

Measey

Hoq

et al. 2022

bmjpo

“…While the RCH Poll lacked pre-pandemic data, substantially more caregivers reported poor mental health on the K6 (average 18%) in the Polls throughout the pandemic than representative Australian adult data collected pre-pandemic (8% in 2017) or during the first national lockdown (11%). 16 Notably, TPTN data found that increases in mental distress were highest for parents, tripling from 8% pre-pandemic to 24% during the pandemic. 15 Our finding of increasing perceived negative impacts of the pandemic on children’s mental health are consistent with the emerging reviews of the published evidence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child and caregiver mental health during 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: findings from national repeated cross-sectional surveys

Measey

Hoq

et al. 2021

Preprint

There are urgent calls for research into the mental health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe caregiver and child mental health over 12 months using Australia's only nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional survey of caregivers with children (0-17 years). N=2020 caregivers in June 2020, N=1434 in September 2020, and N=2508 in July 2021 provided data. Caregivers rated their mental health (Kessler-6), and impacts of the pandemic on their own and their children's mental health. Data were weighted using national distribution of age, gender, number of children, state/territory and neighbourhood-level disadvantage. Mental health measures worsened over time. There was an unequal distribution of impacts based on caregiver gender, child age and family socioeconomic characteristics. Negative impacts were more common with current or cumulative lockdown. The indirect impacts of COVID-19 are real and concerning. Mental health must be central to the immediate and ongoing pandemic responses for families and children.

“…This aligns with the Australian “Pulse of the Nation” survey in which 24% of parents reported mental distress across the first months of lockdown (measured with a single item that highly correlated with the K6; Broadway et al, 2020). While the RCH Poll lacked pre‐pandemic data, substantially more caregivers reported poor mental health on the K6 in the polls than representative Australian adult data collected pre‐pandemic (8% in 2017) or during the first national lockdown (11%; Edwards et al, 2020). Our study also found a differential increase in the poor mental health of Victorian caregivers of 6.7%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between ongoing COVID‐19 lockdown and the financial and mental health experiences of Australian families

Suárez

Zhu

et al. 2022

Aust J Social Issues

In 2020, Australia's successful COVID‐19 public health restrictions comprised a national “initial lockdown” (March–May) and “ongoing lockdown” (July–November) for metropolitan Victorian residents only. We evaluated associations between ongoing lockdown and family finances and mental health. In the June and September 2020 Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Polls, caregivers of children in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) reported the following: job/income loss; material deprivation (inability to pay for essential items); income poverty; mental health (Kessler‐6); perceived impact on caregiver/child mental health; and caregiver/child coping. Data from caregivers (N = 1207/902) in June/September were analysed using difference‐in‐difference modelling (NSW provided the comparator). During Victoria's ongoing lockdown, job/income loss increased by 11% (95%CI: 3%–18%); Kessler‐6 poor mental health by 6% (95%CI: −0.3%–12%) and perceived negative mental health impacts by 14% for caregivers (95%CI: 6%–23%) and 12% for children (95%CI: 4%–20%). Female (vs. male) caregivers, metropolitan (vs. regional/rural) families, and families with elementary school‐aged children (vs. pre‐/high‐school) were the most affected. The ongoing lockdown was associated with negative experiences of mental health, employment and income, but not deprivation or poverty, likely because of government income supplements introduced early in the pandemic. Future lockdowns require planned responses to outbreaks and evidence‐informed financial and mental health supports.