The impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health of children and adolescents.
Qual Life Res
; 30(10): 2795-2804, 2021 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33991278
ABSTRACT
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.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Social Behavior
/
Communicable Disease Control
/
Mental Health
/
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Patient_preference
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Qual Life Res
Journal subject:
REABILITACAO
/
TERAPEUTICA
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: