ABSTRACT
Background and Aims: The coronavirus pandemic (CP) leading to prolonged lockdown, and restriction of movement for almost two years in Bangladesh severely affected not only the well-being (physical and mental health) of both children and adults but also their access to home-based learning. The present study aimed to explore the mental, and physical health problems of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), their use of telehealth services, and the status of their home-based learning by asking questions to their parents/primary caregivers (N = 149) during the second year of lockdown (November and December 2021). Methodology: The present study was a cross-sectional self-reported survey covering as many parents/primary caregivers as possible within Bangladesh. The survey questions were selected from a larger study by Masi et al. named 'COVID-19 impact survey' with permission. A total of 149 parents/primary caregivers with one or more children (mean age = 5.54) having any of the NDDs took part in the survey. Data were collected via physical sitting, telephone interview, and anonymous Google form. Results: Almost one-third of parents/caregivers felt that the NDD symptoms of their children were worsening with time, and half of them reported that their children's health and well-being were negatively impacted. More than 90% of the caregivers felt that their children are facing challenges following the rules of social distancing. Whereas more than 80% of parents agreed that their children's learning was disrupted during covid-19, and they were not getting enough online/offline support from the authorities. Conclusions: The outcome of this study suggested that CP had a significant impact on the wellbeing and home-based learning of children with NDDs and their families in Bangladesh. Most of the caregivers reported that the NDDs symptoms of their children are worsening with disrupted routine, facing problems following social distancing and maintaining fruitful relationships. In terms of home-based learning, most caregivers reported insufficient support from school authorities. The parents recommended the development of an adequate system for telehealth services and policies to help the vulnerable individuals in the future.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected almost every aspect of people's lives, especially, their physical and mental well-being. The degree of its impact, however, is different from place-to-place and person-to-person. Although there is a growing literature on the variable impact of the pandemic on the quality of sleep, loneliness, and mood across different populations (e.g., students, health-workers), little is known about how COVID-19-specific anxiety affects the loneliness feeling and sleep quality among students and employees, specifically, in a low-resource region like Bangladesh. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-related anxiety on the feeling of loneliness and sleep quality of students and professionals in Bangladesh. Additionally, we were interested in comparing the level of COVID-specific anxiety, loneliness, and quality of sleep between these two groups. In total, 211 Bangladeshi students and professionals participated in an online survey in August 2021 when the restriction was still in place. Measures of COVID-19 anxiety, loneliness, and sleep quality scales were used. Regression analysis indicated that overall loneliness and poor sleep quality were strongly predicted by COVID-specific anxiety regardless of being a student or professional. Almost half of the study population (48.3 %) felt severe loneliness and 70.01 % were bad sleepers. Mann-Whitney U test revealed that professionals felt more emotionally lonely, had a higher level of COVID-19-specific anxiety, and had poorer sleep quality than students. A better support structure should be implemented to help the population, particularly, the professionals to lessen their COVID-19-related anxiety and loneliness, and promote better sleep for alleviating stress and improved well-being.