Emotional Problems in Spanish Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Abstract

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the population has been exposed to a high level of stress. The alarm state decreed in Spain in March 2020 limited movement and suspended various activities such as school attendance (Real Decreto 463/2020). From that moment on, a particularly restrictive and lasting confinement began compared to other European countries, with Spanish children not being allowed to leave home until six weeks later .Confinement during the pandemic has had effects on various aspects of children's lives, such as the decrease of physical activity, an increase of sedentary behaviour, poorer sleep quality, and reduced self-regulation (Alonso-Martínez et al., 2021). The closure of schools also had negative consequences for children, owing to increased periods of loneliness and self-care (Araújo et al., 2021).Based on the study of other pandemic situations, Sprang and Silman ( 2013) indicate the increase in children's demand for mental health services, both during and after pandemics. According to these authors, the most frequent diagnoses derived from these situations were acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, grief and, to a lesser extent, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even so, it has been observed that children who have lived through quarantine during pandemics are more likely to develop PTSD than other children who have not, reaching the clinical score that identifies this disorder (30%).With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies Clínica y Salud (2022) xx(x) xx-xx

Increased symptom severity in adults and adolescents admitting to an inpatient psychiatric hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In adolescents, no significant differences were found in emotion regulation, nightmares, or suicide risk pre- vs. during the pandemic. Although studies have shown emotional deterioration ( Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2021 ) and an increase in emotion regulation problems ( Amoros-Reche et al, 2022 ) among children and adolescents during the pandemic ( Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2021 ), our findings do not show a significant increase. This adolescent sample admitted to the inpatient psychiatric program with significantly high emotional problems score pre-pandemic leading to a ceiling effect.…”

“…Youth are also at a particularly heightened risk for the psychological effects of COVID-19 due to their developmental stage ( Lamblin et al, 2017 ). The pandemic has been associated with increased youth depression and anxiety symptoms ( Duan et al, 2020 ; Ma L et al, 2021; Magson et al, 2020 ; Racine et al, 2021 ; Xie et al, 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ), increased rates of suicide ideation and attempts ( Hill et al, 2021 ), increased sleep problems (Ma L et al, 2021;), increased presentation of posttraumatic stress symptoms (Ma L et al, 2021), significant sleep problems ( Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2021 ), an increase in emotion regulation problems ( Amoros-Reche et al, 2022 ; Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2021 ) and a significant decrease in life satisfaction among youth ( Magson et al, 2020 ). Parents also report their children are experiencing significantly increased irritability, worry, sleep disorders, fatigue, and agitation coinciding with COVID-19 ( Jiao et al, 2020 ).…”

Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence During Confinement: Characteristics by Age and Sex

“…These variables were also reported in studies carried out on the general population, both in Spain ( Berasategi et al, 2021 ; Amorós-Reche et al, 2022 ) and internationally ( Pisano et al, 2020 ; Bignardi et al, 2021 ; Ravens-Sieberer et al, 2021 ; Weissman et al, 2021 ; Wright et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Also in Spain, in a recent review by Amorós-Reche et al (2022) , it was concluded that mental health problems increased overall during confinement; Berasategi et al (2021) compiled information, after 3–4 weeks of confinement, from 1,046 Spanish parents with children between 2 and 14 years old, finding that 74.66% were more angry than usual, 55.54% cried more, 70.17% were more nervous, and 35.95% suffered more nightmares.…”

Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral Symptomatology in Children during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Children’s and Parents’ Alexithymia

“…Studies investigating the prevalent emotions experienced by children during periods of social restrictions found high rates of sadness, fear, boredom, nervousness, loneliness, sadness and anger [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Regarding parents’ perspectives, Orgiles et al [ 24 ] found that 85.7% of parents perceived changes in their children’s emotional state and behaviors during the quarantine, and the most frequent symptoms were difficulty concentrating (76.6%), boredom (52%), irritability (39%), restlessness (38.8%), nervousness (38%), feelings of loneliness (31.3%), uneasiness (30.4%) and worries (30.1%).…”