How is COVID-19 pandemic impacting mental health of children and adolescents?

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affected virtually all countries. Uncertain about the health risk and an increasing financial loss will contribute to widespread emotional distress and an increased risk of psychiatric disorders shortly. Posttraumatic, anxiety, and depression disorders are expected during and aftermath of the pandemic. Some groups, like children, have more susceptibility to having long term consequences in mental health. Herein, we made a comprehensive and non-systematic search in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and Google Scholars) to answer the question: What are children's and adolescents' mental health effects of the pandemic? Furthermore, which features are essential for mental health in a pandemic? Results: Seventy-seven articles were selected for full text read, and 51 were included. Children answer stress differently, depending on the development stage. High rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms were identified among children. Discussion: Symptoms were as expected. New supportive strategies have appeared during this pandemic, but there is no measure of its effectiveness. Some groups seem to be more vulnerable to the mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mitigation actions should prioritize them. The school's role appears to be revalued by society. This review seems to pick good targets to prioritize mitigation actions aiming to spare children not only from the severe cases of COVID-19 but also to help them to deal with the mental health burden of the pandemics.

Parenting Adolescents in Times of a Pandemic: Changes in Relationship Quality, Autonomy Support, and Parental Control?

“…A recent review (Brooks et al, 2020) suggested that quarantine measures may lead to feelings of boredom and anger, which may affect both parents and adolescents. For adolescents, feelings of loneliness during the lockdown in combination with the possibility that they receive less peer support because of social distancing, may place them at risk for other mental health problems such as depressive symptoms or (social) anxiety (Loades et al, 2020;Marques de Miranda et al, 2020). Negative feelings in families may spill over from adolescents to parents and to the quality of their interaction (Van Eldik et al, 2020;Keijsers et al, 2016).…”

Children's and Families' Behavioral and Mental Health During COVID-19

“…The pandemic has resulted in the disruption of the daily routines of everyone including children, adolescents, and young adults. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Attending in-person school, physical exercise, social interactions, nutrition, screen time, family meal time, bedtime schedules, and quality of sleep are daily routines that have all been significantly disrupted. The relative impact of these disruptions and the child's response to this stress is dependent on the child's developmental stage.…”

“…5 Other important factors include socioeconomic status; status of the intactness of the family; family stresses; access to technology for remote education and social interactions; nutritional status; presence of underlying chronic illness and/or mental or behavioral health problems; and access to medical, social, and psychological/psychiatric services. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The mental health responses to these stressors include high rates of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms among the children. 5 Other distresses include neglect and abuse, family disruption, isolation, and loneliness.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The mental health responses to these stressors include high rates of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms among the children. 5 Other distresses include neglect and abuse, family disruption, isolation, and loneliness. 5 These are especially significant in children from underprivileged and under-resourced families, and children with chronic illness, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and psychological and psychiatric disorders.…”

“…5 These are especially significant in children from underprivileged and under-resourced families, and children with chronic illness, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and psychological and psychiatric disorders. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] What can we, as pediatric clinicians, do to help? We can be available in person, safely, to provide vaccinations, well-child and sick care, as well as via telehealth to perform trauma-informed care.…”