Factors Associated with Anxiety-Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Reports from different parts of the world suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown and social distancing measures have heralded unprecedented mental health challenges among children and adolescents. To date, there is a dearth of studies emerging from the Arabian Gulf, where the majority of its population are children and adolescents. The study aims to examine the prevalence of anxiety-related disorders and their covariates among children and adolescents in an Arabian Gulf country, Oman. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analytic study carried out over two weeks (1st to 15th of August 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic across Oman. Parents were asked to complete the online survey, which consisted of the parent version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED-41) scale and questions regarding basic socio-demographic information. Logistic regression was used to identify the contributing variables associated with anxiety-related disorders. RESULTS: A total of 790 children, 33.3% (n=263) fulfilled the criteria for anxiety-related disorders. Logistic regression analysis suggested that anxiety-related disorders in children were significantly associated with three demographic variables. The model shows that children with divorced or separated parents were 1.9 times more likely to have anxiety-related disorders than children of married couples (OR=1.93, p=0.035). Children living in families with an income below USD 1,000/month, were 1.8 times more likely to have anxiety-related disorders than a family with an income of USD 4,000/month (OR=1.833, p=0.018). Children in grades 3-6 were 1.8 times more likely to have anxiety-related disorders than those in grades 1-2 (OR=1.79, p=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety-related disorders are common among Arabic-speaking Omani children and adolescents. They are more likely to be reported in middle scholastic grade levels and children from families with marital discord and low socioeconomic status. It is not clear whether the presently observed rates of anxiety exceed the prevalence that would have been observed pre-COVID-19 era. More studies are therefore warranted using children and adolescents' self-reported scales.