Longitudinal Effects of the Pandemic and Confinement on the Anxiety Levels of a Sample of Spanish Children in Primary Education

(1) Background: The psychological effects of confinement due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic on children are only partially known. In Madrid, Spain, children suffered a strict confinement for 10 weeks and they returned to school under conditions that were far from normal. This work assesses the effects of the pandemic on the anxiety levels of a group of children living in Madrid. (2) Methods: Children were aged 6 to 11 years (N = 215). A self-report measure of anxiety was completed by participants at two time-points: (1) a few months before the beginning of the pandemic and (2) 1 year later. A smaller subgroup of participants also completed the measure during the confinement period (n = 60). (3) Results: A comparison of these three measures shows that the children’s anxiety was reduced during confinement, and that one year later these levels continue below those registered before the start of the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: These results contradict some previous studies, which found an increase in children’s anxiety as a result of confinement and the pandemic. The discussion considers protective and vulnerability factors in the context of the pandemic, which may affect children’s levels of anxiety.

The Effect of Mindfulness Training On Resting-State Networks In Pre-Adolescent Children With Sub-Clinical Anxiety Related Attention Impairments.

Background: Mindfulness training has been associated with improved attention and affect regulation in preadolescent children with anxiety related attention impairments, however little is known about the underlying neurobiology. This study sought to investigate the impact of mindfulness training on functional connectivity of attention and limbic brain networks in pre-adolescents.Methods: A total of 47 children (aged 9-11 years) participated in a 10-week mindfulness intervention. Anxiety and attention measures and resting-state fMRI were completed at pre- and post-intervention. Sustained attention was measured using the Conners Continuous Performance Test, while the anxiety levels were measured using the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Functional networks were estimated using independent-component analysis, and voxel-based analysis was used to determine the difference between the time-points to identify the effect of the intervention on the functional connectivity. Results: There was a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms and improvement in attention scores following the intervention. From a network perspective, the results showed increased functional connectivity post intervention in the salience and fronto-parietal networks as well as the medial-inferior temporal component of the default mode network. Positive correlations were identified in the fronto-parietal network with Hit Response Time and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale total and between the default mode network and Hit Response Time.Conclusions: A 10-week mindfulness intervention in children was associated with a reduction in anxiety related attention impairments, which were underpinned by concomitant changes in functional connectivity.

ANXIETY DISORDERS AND THE FREQUENCY OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT SPECIAL LEARNING DISABILITIES

<p>Special Learning Disabilities (SLD) are often accompanied by negative thoughts of self-assessment, deficits in social interactions and psycho-emotional problems as well, which hinder the development and the smooth integration of children diagnosed with SLD into their environment. This research attempts to investigate the association of negative self-assessment thoughts and anxiety disorders with Special Learning Disabilities in a sample of sixty Greek-speaking children in 4th, 5th and 6th grades with and without SLD, including their parents. The tools used for this purpose are the Children’s Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS), and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-CH) self-report questionnaire, which assess anxiety disorders. Parents were asked to answer the corresponding Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parents Edition (SCAS-P) symptom-monitoring questionnaire. According to the results compared to their normal development peers, children with SLD had a higher incidence of negative thoughts, which is more likely to lead to symptoms of anxiety disorders; their parents in fact were able to perceive the severity or frequency of these symptoms in their children. In addition, the frequency of negative thoughts and symptoms related to anxiety disorders seemed to be influenced by the student’s condition (with or without SLD), but not by gender and age. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0982/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Effects of Maternal Overprotection on Social Competence in Young Children: The Mediating Role of Young Children’s Anxiety

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the direct and indirect effects of maternal overprotection on the development of young children’s social competence through their anxiety. In this study, maternal overprotection was defined as anxiously shielding their young children from having negative experiences and maintaining developmentally inappropriate intrusive and permissive parenting for their children.Methods: Participants were 183 mothers and 18 teachers with young children aged from four to six years. Mothers rated themselves on the degree of their overprotecting behaviors measured by a maternal overprotection scale for young children (Y. S. Chung & Park, 2021). Teachers rated young children’s anxiety and social competence. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and a structural equation model. Bootstrapping method was applied to examine the significance of the mediating effects.Results: First, there were significant correlations between maternal overprotection, young children’s anxiety and social competence. Second, structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized relations among maternal overprotection, young children’s anxiety and social competence after controlling with young children’s gender, maternal academic background, and monthly household income. And the level of young children’s anxiety mediated the relationship between overprotective parenting and young children’s social competence.Conclusion: This study showed that mother’s overprotective parenting was associated with varying levels of young children’s anxiety and social competence. Additionally the maternal overprotection linked with children’s social competence indirectly through their anxiety. These findings offer basic knowledge applicable to parent education and the for the development of program for improving parenting behaviors. The limitations and other implications of this study are also discussed.

Gambaran Tingkat Kecemasan Anak Saat Perawatan Ekstraksi Gigi

Going to a dentist can cause anxiety in children. One of dental treatments that causes anxiety is tooth extraction. This study was aimed to determine children’s anxiety level during tooth extraction. This was a literature review study. Data were collected from the database of Google Scholar by using predefined keywords children’s anxiety level and tooth extraction. Literatures were screened by title, and the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The critical appraisal was performed by using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal and eight literatures weres obtained. The results showed that children’s anxiety level during tooth extraction were anxiety and mild anxiety. Based on age, younger children were more anxious than older children. Based on gender, females were more anxious than males. In conclusion, during tooth extraction, the anxiety levels of most of the children were anxiety and mild anxiety.Keywords: child anxiety level; tooth extraction Abstrak: Pemeriksaan kesehatan gigi dan mulut saat mengunjungi dokter gigi dapat menim-bulkan kecemasan pada anak. Salah satu perawatan yang dapat menimbulkan kecemasan ialah ekstraksi gigi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran tingkat kecemasan anak saat perawatan ekstraksi gigi. Jenis penelitian ialah literature review, Pencarian data pada database Google Scholar dengan menggunakan kata kunci tingkat kecemasan anak dan pencabutan gigi. Hasil pencarian dilakukan skrining berdasarkan judul, kriteria inklusi dan eksklusi, kemudian dilakukan uji kelayakan menggunakan the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal dan diperoleh delapan literatur. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan tingkat kecemasan anak saat perawatan ekstraksi gigi ialah cemas dan cemas ringan. Dilihat dari usia, anak lebih muda lebih cemas dibandingkan anak lebih tua. Dilihat dari jenis kelamin, anak perempuan lebih cemas daripada anak laki-laki. Simpulan penelitian ini ialah tingkat kecemasan sebagian besar anak pada saat perawatan ekstraksi gigi ialah cemas dan cemas ringan.Kata kunci: tingkat kecemasan anak; ekstraksi gigi

KECEMASAN ANAK DITINJAU DARI KECEMASAN ORANG TUA DI RSU. BHAKTI HUSADA KRIKILAN

Introduction: Illness and hospitalization cause a crisis in children's lives. In the hospital, the child must face an unfamiliar environment. Often they have to undergo procedures that cause pain, loss of independence and various unknowns. Anxiety that occurs in hospitalized children can be caused by separation which is indicated by refusing to eat, crying and being uncooperative with health workers. Loss of control causes children to become irritable and aggressive, loss of self-concept and body image. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the anxiety of children in terms of the anxiety of parents in the RSU. Bhakti Husada Krikilan. Methods: This study uses a correlational design with the type of research used is descriptive analytic. The population in this study was the average of pediatric patients and their parents during the last 3 months in the Inpatient Room at the RSU. Bhakti Husada Krikilan as many as 60 people. Sampling technique using simple random. The tool for the data collection process is a questionnaire sheet, which is then analyzed by the Spearman Rank statistic test. The decision was taken by comparing the p value < 0.05. Results: Based on the results of the study showed that from 49 respondents showed that most of the respondents had parental anxiety in the moderate category as many as 33 people (67.3%). While most of the respondents had child anxiety in the severe category as many as 28 people (57.1%). Based on the results of the Spearman Rank test, it is known that there is a relationship between children's anxiety in terms of parental anxiety at the RSU. Bhakti Husada Krikilan Banyuwangi in 2020 because the p value < 0.05, which is 0.25. Conclusion: Parents with excessive anxiety tend to be more afraid of things that are uncertain. This keeps them from paying close attention to what is really going on and what is in front of them. So, this will make parenting not work as it should. This condition also triggers anxiety in children. For this reason, it is necessary to increase assistance to children to provide a sense of security and comfort so that children's anxiety will decrease

Examining Children’s Mental Health and Parenting Quality before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The goal of the current study was to characterize the impact of COVID-19 mitigation efforts (i.e., stay-at-home orders) on children’s mental health and parenting quality, as well as to assess predictors of children’s mental health during the pandemic. Methods: Seventy-nine children (18 with autism, 61 without) and their parents who participated in a previous study and were at least 10 years old (M = 13.8, SD = 1.7) were invited to participate in three online follow-up surveys post initiation of the stay-at-home-order (during May through November 2020). Children were predominantly White (49.4%) and not Hispanic or Latino (78.5%). Parents reported on children’s anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as their own parenting practices. Family togetherness, conflict, financial problems, and parental mental health during the pandemic were also collected. Results: Children without autism experienced a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms across the beginning of the pandemic and a significant increase in depressive symptoms from pre- to post-stay-at-home-order. Children with autism experienced a significant decrease in depressive symptoms from pre- to post- stay-at-home-order. Parents of children without autism reported a significant decrease in positive parenting from pre- to post stay-at-home-order. Higher levels of permissive parenting and financial problems were associated with children’s depressive symptoms. Higher levels of parent mental health difficulties and permissive parenting were associated with higher levels of children’s anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Children are experiencing both improvements and declines in mental health relative to pre-pandemic. Parenting quality and parental mental health have direct impacts on children’s functioning during the pandemic.