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

Ravens-Sieberer, U.; Kaman, Anne; Erhart, Michael; Devine, Janine; Schlack, Robert; Otto, Christiane

doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01726-5

Cited by 705 publications

(842 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Likewise, one of the Chinese studies also found that having an infected relative/friend with COVID-19 was predictive of more anxiety [19]. Germany had comparable restrictions and also found worse mental health and higher levels of anxiety in children and adolescents during lockdown [20]. In addition to the effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms, our study results show negative effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on anger, sleeprelated impairment and peer relationships.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…The reported prevalences were higher compared to pre-COVID-19 established cut-offs and percentages in China, however, none of these differences were statistically tested. Recently published studies have shown that children did report statistically significant lower health-related quality of life and higher anxiety and depression levels than before the pandemic [20][21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health of children and adolescents

et al. 2021

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Purpose During the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, governmental regulations resulted in a lockdown for adults as well as children/adolescents. Schools were closed and contact with other people was limited. In this cross-sectional, population-based study, we aimed to investigate the mental/social health of children/adolescents during COVID-19 lockdown. Methods Two representative samples of Dutch children/adolescents (8–18 years) before COVID-19 (2018, N = 2401) and during lockdown (April 2020, N = 844) were compared on the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domains: global health, peer relationships, anxiety, depressive symptoms, anger, sleep-related impairment by linear mixed models and calculating relative risks (RR (95% CI)) for the proportion of severe scores. Variables associated with worse mental/social health during COVID-19 were explored through multivariable regression models. The impact of COVID-19 regulations on the daily life of children was qualitatively analyzed. Results Participants reported worse PROMIS T-scores on all domains during COVID-19 lockdown compared to before (absolute mean difference range 2.1–7.1 (95% CI 1.3–7.9). During lockdown, more children reported severe Anxiety (RR = 1.95 (1.55–2.46) and Sleep-Related Impairment (RR = 1.89 (1.29–2.78) and fewer children reported poor Global Health (RR = 0.36 (0.20–0.65)). Associated factors with worse mental/social health were single-parent family, ≥ three children in the family, negative change in work situation of parents due to COVID-19 regulations, and a relative/friend infected with COVID-19. A large majority (> 90%) reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 regulations on daily life. Conclusion This study showed that governmental regulations regarding lockdown pose a serious mental/social health threat on children/adolescents that should be brought to the forefront of political decision-making and mental healthcare policy, intervention, and prevention.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health of children and adolescents

et al. 2021

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“…Also, as we have not assessed variables before the pandemic, we are not able to disentangle the unique additive effects of the pandemic on reported associations. However, longitudinal cohort studies have found that the prevalence of psychological distress and various mental health conditions was considerably higher during the pandemic as compared to time periods before the pandemic [18,20,23,26,27,45], although some inconsistencies were reported [21]. Also, participants were explicitly asked to report levels of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social isolation, mental health, and use of digital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationally representative survey

Rauschenberg¹,

Schick²,

Goetzl³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Public health measures to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates may have negative psychosocial consequences in youth. Digital interventions may help to mitigate these effects. We aimed to investigate the associations between social isolation, COVID-19-related worries/anxieties, objective social risk indicators, psychological distress and use of digital mobile health (mHealth) interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Data were collected as part of the “Health And Innovation During COVID-19 Survey” —a cross-sectional panel study including a representative sample of individuals aged 16 to 25 years (N=666; Mage 21·3) (assessment period: 07.05.-16.05.2020). Data were collected on social isolation, COVID-19-related worries/anxieties, objective social risk indicators, psychological distress as well as the current use of and attitude towards digital interventions.Outcomes: Social isolation, lack of company, worrying, and objective social risk indicators were associated with psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dose-response relationships were found. For instance, psychological distress was progressively more likely to occur as levels of reported social isolation increased (with reporting ‘never’ as reference group: ‘very rarely’: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2·4,CI 1·0 – 5·7, p=0·041; ‘rarely’: aOR 3·6, CI 1·7 – 7·7, p=0·001; ‘occasionally’: aOR 8·4, CI 4·0 – 17·5, p<0·001; ‘often’: aOR 20·6, CI 9·3 – 45·7, p<0·001;’very often’: aOR 43·4, CI 14·7 – 128·2, p<0·001). There was evidence that psychological distress, and high levels of social isolation, lack of company, and worrying were associated with a positive attitude towards using digital interventions, whereas only severe levels of psychological distress and worries were associated with actual use (aOR 2·0, CI 1·3 - 3·0, p=0·001; aOR 1·6, CI 1·1 – 2·2, p=0·005, respectively).Interpretation: Public health measures during pandemics may be associated with social isolation and poor mental health outcomes in youth. Digital interventions may help mitigate the negative psychosocial impact without risk for viral infection given there is an objective need and subjective demand.

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“…Regarding some demographic variables, we found higher prosocial behavior among adolescent girls, similar to a study conducted in Italy ( 7 ), where they also found these results among children. Finally, a study in Germany found higher rates of all problems and symptoms assessed by SDQ among children and adolescents coming from low socioeconomic status and of parents with lower education ( 36 ). We also found that children of low-income families (attending public schools) had a higher risk of hyperactive problems, and adolescents coming from low-income families (attending public schools) had a higher risk of peer problems when compared with students of private schools, usually of affluent families.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brief Research Report: The Association Between Educational Experiences and Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Variables, and Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents

Ramírez

Aldunate²,

Vargas³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Introduction: Mental health problems among children and adolescents are frequent. Today, the world is facing a pandemic with a novel coronavirus, which is related to the higher rates of mental problems reported worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the Covid-19 related experiences, educational experiences, and family functioning on mental health and wellbeing among children and adolescents in Chile during the Pandemic and lockdown health measures.Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the first wave of an ongoing longitudinal study among girls and boys of Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade (4–18 years old) in Santiago, Chile. The sample consisted of 979 students from eight different schools. The method of data collection was online surveys administered to parents and adolescents. The dependent variables were mental health problems and wellbeing. Several independent variables were assessed (sociodemographic variables, Covid-19 related experiences, related educational experiences, and family functioning). A descriptive analysis and univariable and multivariable regression models were performed to study the association between variables.Results: Positive educational experiences, primarily academic self-concept, reduced the probability of mental health problems and increased wellbeing. Among covid-19 related variables, practicing meditation or praying reduced emotional problems, while having family or health problems increased emotional problems among adolescents. No clear association between Covid-19 related experiences variables among children was found.Conclusions: Our findings may help educational and public health authorities to plan future school preventive interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing in this population.

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

Cited by 705 publications

References 45 publications

The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health of children and adolescents

The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health of children and adolescents

Social isolation, mental health, and use of digital interventions in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationally representative survey

Brief Research Report: The Association Between Educational Experiences and Covid-19 Pandemic-Related Variables, and Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents

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