Mental health symptoms of youth initiating psychiatric care at different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective To examine differences in caregiver and youth reported mental health symptoms for youth initiating mental health treatment through phases of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, compared with symptomology reported the prior year. Study design This retrospective study analyzes group differences in mental health symptoms (Pediatric Symptom Checklist; PSC-35) based on 7874 youth seeking treatment in publicly funded mental health treatment programs during California’s Stay-At-Home order (March–May, 2020) and the prolonged pandemic (May–December, 2020) phases of the COVID-19 pandemic as compared with matching groups in 2019. Results Youth entering mental health treatment services, and their caregivers, reported significantly increased internalizing, externalizing, and attention-related symptoms during the prolonged pandemic phase, but not during the acute stay-at-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with small effect sizes. Group comparison analyses did not detect a significantly larger effect for Sexual and Gender Diverse (SGD) youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer, and/or intersex, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Conclusions A large-scale comparison of youth mental health symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that mental health was disrupted for youth seeking treatment as the pandemic prolonged throughout 2020.

Changes in internalizing and externalizing problems in Dutch children and adolescents receiving youth care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In addition, children who experienced the transition into the pandemic also showed higher externalizing problems at the end of their treatment compared to peers treated before the pandemic. This is in line with previous findings that showed poorer child mental health during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic (Adegboye et al, 2021; Cost et al, 2022; Crandal et al, 2022; Gilsbach, Herpertz-Dahlmann, & Konrad, 2021; Lopez-Serrano et al, 2021; J. Zijlmans et al, 2021; Josjan Zijlmans et al, 2023) and is potentially partially due to true effects of the pandemic on youth care.…”

A longitudinal investigation of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness

“…This is reflected in our results as all groups reported decreases in impacts to mental health care over the three timepoints. Several other studies have reported improvements in mental health during months of warmer weather and lower infection rates throughout the pandemic;[ 27 , 28 ] however, some studies conversely show lower mental health symptoms during lockdown phases compared to prolonged phases of the pandemic [ 26 ]. Additionally, our analyses showed that the living situations of youth in Group 4 changed significantly over time, characterized by youth who were living in public spaces or at a (non-partner, non-parent) friend/family member’s place in April 2021 but transitioned into different living situations by October 2021.…”

“…The existing research contains diverse findings, with some studies showing stable but poor mental health throughout the pandemic, [22] while others found fluctuations or a decrease in substance use and/or mental health concerns over the course of the pandemic [21][22][23][24][25]. Studies also demonstrated diverging findings regarding different stages of the pandemic and the impact of periods of heightened infection risk and lockdown measures on mental health symptoms [26][27][28]. Changes in youth mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic may be impacted by gender, family functioning, pre-pandemic mental and physical health, student status of youth, and exposure to pandemic-related stressors [22,24,[27][28][29].…”

Medical outcomes of children with neurodevelopmental disorders after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination: A six-month follow-up study

“…In addition to the vaccine safety, children with ND are commonly prescribed medications for managing their behavior problems, and the medication usage aggravates the worrisome and hesitation to vaccination [25] , [30] . Available medications for ADHD patients in Taiwan include stimulants (methylphenidate) and non-stimulants (atomoxetine or clonidine) [31] , [32] .…”