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

Author(s):  
Michiel A. J. Luijten ◽  
Maud M. van Muilekom ◽  
Lorynn Teela ◽  
Tinca J. C. Polderman ◽  
Caroline B. Terwee ◽  
...  

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.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josjan Zijlmans ◽  
Lorynn Teela ◽  
Hanneke van Ewijk ◽  
Helen Klip ◽  
Malindi van der Mheen ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 lockdown increases psychological problems in children and adolescents from the general population. Here we investigate the mental and social health during the COVID-19 lockdown in children and adolescents with pre-existing mental or somatic problems.Methods: We included participants (8–18 years) from a psychiatric (N = 249) and pediatric (N = 90) sample, and compared them to a general population sample (N = 844). Measures were assessed during the first lockdown (April-May 2020) in the Netherlands. Main outcome measures were Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) domains: Global Health, Peer Relationships, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Anger, and Sleep-Related Impairment, as reported by children and youth. Additionally, socio-demographic variables, COVID-19-related questions, changes in atmosphere at home from a parent and child perspective, and children's experiences of lockdown regulations were reported by parents.Results: On all measures except Global Health, the pediatric sample reported least problems. The psychiatric sample reported significantly more problems than the general population sample on all measures except for Anxiety and Peer Relationships. Having a COVID-19 affected friend/relative and a COVID-19 related change in parental work situation negatively moderated outcome, but not in the samples with pre-existing problems. All parents reported significant decreases in atmosphere at home, as did children from the general population.Conclusion: We observed significant differences in mental and social health between three child and adolescent samples during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and identified COVID-19-related factors influencing mental and social health.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josjan Zijlmans ◽  
Lorynn Teela ◽  
Hanneke van Ewijk ◽  
Helen Klip ◽  
Malindi van der Mheen ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 lockdown increases psychological problems in children and adolescents from the general population. Here we investigate the mental and social health during the COVID-19 lockdown in children and adolescents with pre-existing mental or somatic problems. Method: We included participants (8-18 years) from a psychiatric (N = 249) and pediatric (N = 90) sample, and compared them to a general population sample (N = 844). Measures were assessed during the first lockdown (April-May 2020) in the Netherlands. Main outcome measures were Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domains: Global Health, Peer Relationships, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Anger, and Sleep-Related Impairment. Additionally, socio-demographic variables, COVID-19-related questions, changes in atmosphere at home from a parent and child perspective, and children's experiences of lockdown regulations were assessed. Results: On all measures except Global Health, the pediatric sample reported least problems. The psychiatric sample reported significantly more problems than the general population sample on all measures except for Anxiety and Peer Relationships. Having a COVID-19 affected friend/relative and a COVID-19 related change in work situation negatively moderated outcome, but not in the samples with pre-existing problems. All parents reported significant decreases in atmosphere at home, as did children from the general population. Conclusion: We observed significant differences in mental and social health between three child and adolescent samples during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and identified COVID-19-related factors influencing mental and social health. Our findings contribute to current and future policies during pandemic related lockdowns regarding the mental and social health of children and adolescents.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiel A. J. Luijten ◽  
Maud M. van Muilekom ◽  
Lorynn Teela ◽  
Hedy A. van Oers ◽  
Caroline B. Terwee ◽  
...  

AbstractImportanceIt is unknown how a lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic impacts children’s and adolescents’ mental and social health.ObjectiveTo compare mental and social health of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown versus before, identify associated factors, describe the change in atmosphere at home and qualitatively assess the impact of COVID-19 regulations on daily life.DesignCross-sectional study comparing two Dutch representative samples of children and adolescents (8-18 years); before COVID-19 (Dec2017-July2018) and during the COVID-19 lockdown (April/May 2020).SettingPopulation-basedParticipantsChildren and adolescents aged 8-18 years (M=13.4, 47.4% male), representative of the Dutch population on key demographics.Exposure(s)COVID-19 pandemic lockdownMain Outcome(s) and Measure(s)Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) domains: Global Health, Peer Relationships, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Anger and Sleep-Related Impairment. Single item on atmosphere at home and open question regarding the impact of the regulations on the child/adolescent’s daily lifeResultsChildren and adolescents reported significantly worse PROMIS T-scores on all domains (absolute mean difference range, 2.1-7.1; absolute 95% CI range, 1.3-7.9) during the COVID-19 lockdown as compared to before COVID-19. More children reported severe Anxiety (during 16.7% vs. before 8.6%; relative risk 1.95; 95% CI 1.55-2.46) and Sleep-Related Impairment (during 11.5% vs. before 6.1%; relative risk 1.89; 95% CI 1.29-2.78). Fewer children reported poor Global Health (during 1.7 vs. before 4.6%; relative risk 0.36; 95% CI 0.20-0.65). More mental and social health complaints during the COVID-19 lockdown were found in children and adolescents growing up in a single-parent family, having ≥three children in the family, a negative change in work situation of parents due to COVID-19 regulations, and having a relative/friend infected with COVID-19. A small effect was found on atmosphere at home during the lockdown compared to before (mean difference, −3.1; 95% CI, −4.1 −−2.1). A large majority (>90%) reported a negative impact of the COVID-19 regulations on their daily life.Conclusions and RelevanceThis study showed that governmental regulations regarding lockdown pose a serious mental and social health threat on children and adolescents that should be brought to the forefront of political decision making and mental health care policy, intervention and prevention.Key pointsQuestionWhat is the impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and social health in children and adolescents compared to before COVID-19?FindingsThis population-based study shows that during the COVID-19 lockdown children and adolescents report lower mental and social health, especially on anxiety and depressive symptoms.MeaningIn proposing new COVID regulations (e.g., closing schools) governments should be mindful of the negative impact of a lockdown on mental and social health of children and adolescents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 840-848
Author(s):  
Anne F. Klassen ◽  
Louise Dalton ◽  
Timothy E. E. Goodacre ◽  
Karen E. Harman ◽  
Rona Slator ◽  
...  

Objective: To describe the impact of completing the CLEFT-Q appearance scales on patients with cleft lip and/or palate and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics and CLEFT-Q scores associated with reporting a negative impact. Design: International cross-sectional survey. Setting: Recruitment took place between October 2014 and November 2016 at 30 craniofacial clinics located in 12 countries. Patients: Aged 8 to 29 years with cleft lip and/or palate. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants were asked 4 questions to evaluate the impact of completing the field test version of a patient-reported outcome measure (the CLEFT-Q) that included 154 items, of which 79 (51%) asked about appearance (of the face, nose, nostrils, teeth, lips, jaws, and cleft lip scar). Results: The sample included 2056 participants. Most participants liked answering the CLEFT-Q (88%) and the appearance questions (82%). After completing the appearance scales, most participants (77%) did not feel upset or unhappy about how they look, and they felt the same (67%) or better (23%) about their appearance after completing the questionnaire. Demographic and clinical variables associated with feeling unhappy/upset or worse about how they look included country of residence, female gender, more severe cleft, anticipating future cleft-specific surgeries, and reporting lower (ie, worse) scores on CLEFT-Q appearance and health-related quality-of-life scales. Conclusion: Most participants liked completing the CLEFT-Q, but a small minority reported a negative impact. When used in clinical practice, CLEFT-Q scale scores should be examined as soon as possible after completion in order that the clinical team might identify patients who might require additional support.


Author(s):  
Erica J Brenner ◽  
Millie D Long ◽  
Courtney M Mann ◽  
Wenli Chen ◽  
Camila Reyes ◽  
...  

Abstract Background PROMIS Pediatric domains provide self-reported measures of physical, emotional, and social health in children with chronic conditions. We evaluated the responsiveness of the PROMIS Pediatric measures to changes in disease activity and disease-specific, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods IBD Partners Kids & Teens is an internet-based cohort of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Participants age 9 to 17 report symptoms related to disease activity (short Crohn’s Disease Activity Index [sCDAI]), the IMPACT-III HRQOL measure, and 5 PROMIS Pediatric domains. We conducted longitudinal analyses using mixed linear models to examine the extent to which PROMIS Pediatric measures respond to changes in sCDAI and IMPACT-III. Results Our study sample included 544 participants with CD (mean age 13 years, 44% female). All PROMIS Pediatric domains responded to changes in sCDAI, indicating improved physical, emotional, and social health, corresponding to improved disease activity and the converse (P < 0.001). Observed effect estimates ranged from 1.8 for peer relationships to 6.8 for fatigue. Of 246 participants with 2 or more completed reports, disease activity was stable in 527, worse in 72, and improved in 67. Changes in PROMIS Pediatric scores were associated with changes in IMPACT-III (r = −0.43 for anxiety, r = −0.45 for depressive symptoms, r = −0.43 for pain interference, r = −0.59 for fatigue, and r = 0.23 for peer relationships). Conclusions This study provides evidence for the longitudinal responsiveness of the PROMIS Pediatric measures to change in disease status and HRQOL in pediatric CD patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazen El Ghaziri ◽  
Shellie Simons ◽  
Jane Lipscomb ◽  
Carla L. Storr ◽  
Kathleen McPhaul ◽  
...  

Background: Workplace Bullying (WPB) can have a tremendous, negative impact on the victims and the organization as a whole. The purpose of this study was to examine individual and organizational impact associated with exposure to bullying in a large U.S. unionized public sector workforce. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was conducted among 16,492 U.S. state government workers. Survey domains included demographics, negative acts (NAs) and bullying, supportiveness of the organizational climate, and individual and organizational impacts of bullying. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the impact among respondents who reported exposure to bullying. Findings: A total of 72% participants responded to the survey (n = 11,874), with 43.7% (n = 5,181) reporting exposure to NAs and bullying. A total of 40% (n = 4,711) participants who experienced WPB reported individual impact(s) while 42% ( n = 4,969) reported organization impact(s). Regular NA was associated with high individual impact (negatively impacted them personally; odds ratio [OR] = 5.03) when controlling for other covariates including: female gender (OR =1.89) and job tenure of 6 to 10 years (OR = 1.95); working in a supportive organizational climate and membership in a supportive bargaining unit were protective of high impact (OR = 0.04 and OR = 0.59, respectively). High organizational impact (transferring to another position) was associated with regular NA and bullying (OR = 16.26), female gender (OR = 1.55), providing health care and field service (OR = 1.68), and protective effect of organizational climate (OR = 0.39). We found a dose-response relationship between bullying and both individual and organizational-level impact. Conclusion/Application to Practice: Understanding the impacts of WPB should serve to motivate more workplaces and unions to implement effective interventions to ameliorate the problem by enhancing the organizational climate, as well as management and employee training on the nature of WPB and guidance on reporting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1782
Author(s):  
Ignacio Ricci-Cabello ◽  
Aina María Yañez-Juan ◽  
Maria A. Fiol-deRoque ◽  
Alfonso Leiva ◽  
Joan Llobera Canaves ◽  
...  

We aimed to examine the complex relationships between patient safety processes and outcomes and multimorbidity using a comprehensive set of constructs: multimorbidity, polypharmacy, discordant comorbidity (diseases not sharing either pathogenesis nor management), morbidity burden and patient complexity. We used cross-sectional data from 4782 patients in 69 primary care centres in Spain. We constructed generalized structural equation models to examine the associations between multimorbidity constructs and patient-reported patient safety (PREOS-PC questionnaire). These associations were modelled through direct and indirect (mediated by increased interactions with healthcare) pathways. For women, a consistent association between higher levels of the multimorbidity constructs and lower levels of patient safety was observed via either pathway. The findings for men replicated these observations for polypharmacy, morbidity burden and patient complexity via indirect pathways. However, direct pathways showed unexpected associations between higher levels of multimorbidity and better safety. The consistent association between multimorbidity constructs and worse patient safety among women makes it advisable to target this group for the development of interventions, with particular attention to the role of comorbidity discordance. Further research, particularly qualitative research, is needed for clarifying the complex associations among men.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110304
Author(s):  
Ravindra Ganesh ◽  
Aditya K. Ghosh ◽  
Mark A. Nyman ◽  
Ivana T. Croghan ◽  
Stephanie L. Grach ◽  
...  

Objective Persistent post-COVID symptoms are estimated to occur in up to 10% of patients who have had COVID-19. These lingering symptoms may persist for weeks to months after resolution of the acute illness. This study aimed to add insight into our understanding of certain post-acute conditions and clinical findings. The primary purpose was to determine the persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics by collecting post COVID illness data utilizing Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). The resulting measures were used to assess surveyed patients physical, mental, and social health status. Methods A cross-sectional study and 6-months Mayo Clinic COVID recovered registry data were used to evaluate continuing symptoms severity among the 817 positive tested patients surveyed between March and September 2020. The resulting PROMIS® data set was used to analyze patients post 30 days health status. The e-mailed questionnaires focused on fatigue, sleep, ability to participate in social roles, physical function, and pain. Results The large sample size (n = 817) represented post hospitalized and other managed outpatients. Persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics were determined to be demographically young (44 years), white (87%), and female (61%). Dysfunction as measured by the PROMIS® scales in patients recovered from acute COVID-19 was reported as significant in the following domains: ability to participate in social roles (43.2%), pain (17.8%), and fatigue (16.2%). Conclusion Patient response on the PROMIS® scales was similar to that seen in multiple other studies which used patient reported symptoms. As a result of this experience, we recommend utilizing standardized scales such as the PROMIS® to obtain comparable data across the patients’ clinical course and define the disease trajectory. This would further allow for effective comparison of data across studies to better define the disease process, risk factors, and assess the impact of future treatments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (02) ◽  
pp. 117-135
Author(s):  
Courtney T. Byrd ◽  
Katherine L. Winters ◽  
Megan Young ◽  
Danielle Werle ◽  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
...  

AbstractSchool-based guidelines often require that treatment focuses on minimizing or eliminating stuttered speech. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of explicit training in communication competencies to children who stutter without targeting stuttered speech. Thirty-seven children (ages 4–16) completed Camp Dream. Speak. Live., an intensive group treatment program which targets the psychosocial needs and communication of children who stutter. Outcome measures included the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES), the Communication Attitude Test for Preschool and Kindergarten Children Who Stutter (KiddyCAT), and the Patient Reported Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Peer Relationships Short Form (PROMIS Peer Relationships) and Parent Proxy Peer Relationships Short Form (PROMIS Parent Proxy). Pre- and posttreatment public presentations were rated on nine core verbal and nonverbal communication competencies by a neutral observer. Similar to previous studies, participants demonstrated significant improvements in communication attitudes (OASES) and perceived ability to establish peer relationships (PROMIS Peer Relationships), particularly school-aged participants (ages 7–16). Participants also demonstrated significant improvement in eight of the nine communication competencies. Findings suggest that, in addition to the psychosocial gains of programs such as Camp Dream. Speak. Live., children who stutter benefit from explicit training in communication skills, and these gains are not dependent on the presence of stuttered speech.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manar Abduljalil Bakhsh ◽  
Jomana Khawandanah ◽  
Rouba Khalil Naaman ◽  
Shoug Alashmali

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments around the world to impose strict hygiene and national lockdown measures, which in turn has changed the dietary and lifestyle habits of the world’s population. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether dietary and physical activity behaviors of Saudi Arabia’s adult population changed during the COVID-19 quarantine. Methods An electronic questionnaire which assessed changes in body weight, dietary habits, and physical activity of Saudi Arabia’s adult population (n = 2255) during the COVID-19 quarantine was distributed on social media between June and July 2020. To test the differences between changes in dietary and physical activity behaviors in relation to changes in body weight a Chi-square test was used. Results Over 40 and 45% of participants reported eating and snacking more, respectively, which led to weight gain in around 28%. Most participants reported that they consumed home-cooked (73%) and healthy meals (47%), while only 7% reported that they consumed foods from restaurants. Feelings of boredom and emptiness (44%) and the availability of time for preparing meals (40%) were the main reasons for changing dietary habits. Honey (43%) and vitamin C (50%) were the most consumed immune-boosting food and dietary supplement, respectively. COVID-19 also had a negative impact on physical activity, lowering the practice in 52% subjects, which was associated with significant weight gain (p < 0.001). Conclusion Assessing the changes to the population’s dietary habits and physical activity during the lockdown will help predict the outcome of the population’s future health and wellbeing after the pandemic.


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