Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study
Objective The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.Design Cross-sectional surveys were carried out on the mental health of children; one survey was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and one into the...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058609.full |
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| author | Alan Johnson Sayan Mukherjee Sushant Mane Manas Pustake Ajit Bhagwat Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani Misba Sayed Varada Mithbavkar Zaid Memon Abdus Samad Momin Krishna Deshmukh Ayush Chordia Sabyasachi Parida Sanket Warghade Deepankar Varma |
| author_facet | Alan Johnson Sayan Mukherjee Sushant Mane Manas Pustake Ajit Bhagwat Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani Misba Sayed Varada Mithbavkar Zaid Memon Abdus Samad Momin Krishna Deshmukh Ayush Chordia Sabyasachi Parida Sanket Warghade Deepankar Varma |
| author_sort | Alan Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.Design Cross-sectional surveys were carried out on the mental health of children; one survey was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and one into the pandemic, 15 months after the school closures and implementation of lockdown and social distancing. Demographic data and COVID-19 pandemic-related data were collected from specific parent-report and self-report questionnaires.Participants Participants included children and adolescents between ages 6 and 16 years, attending a tertiary care hospital without any diagnosed major psychiatric or chronic disorder.Analysis Data were collected at two points (before the COVID-19 pandemic and during it) and compared. Levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were compared and tested for statistically significant differences between these two points using appropriate statistical tests. Regression models were constructed to predict the factors affecting increased anxiety levels and depressive symptoms in the COVID-19 period.Results 832 and 1255 children/adolescents were included in the study during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 times, respectively. The median age of the participants was 10 years (IQR=4 years). The median (IQR) Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale score was 24 (12) at the pre-COVID-19 point and 31 (13) during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001, r=−0.27). 11% and 16% of children reported being depressed at these two-time points, respectively (p=0.004, φc=−0.063). Regression analysis showed that many factors, including the duration of smartphone use, female gender and only child status, were associated with increased anxiety or depression levels.Conclusion A large proportion of children had elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic, suggesting a need for measures to engage children in healthy habits to protect children’s mental health and continuous monitoring of children during such scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c177bb60c2264b31a7565e6bb67d446b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
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| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-c177bb60c2264b31a7565e6bb67d446b2025-01-31T03:15:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-07-0112710.1136/bmjopen-2021-058609Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional studyAlan Johnson0Sayan Mukherjee1Sushant Mane2Manas Pustake3Ajit Bhagwat4Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani5Misba Sayed6Varada Mithbavkar7Zaid Memon8Abdus Samad Momin9Krishna Deshmukh10Ayush Chordia11Sabyasachi Parida12Sanket Warghade13Deepankar Varma14Department of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaClinical Immunology and Rheumatology, King George`s Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Community Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Mission’s Institute of Health Sciences, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaObjective The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.Design Cross-sectional surveys were carried out on the mental health of children; one survey was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and one into the pandemic, 15 months after the school closures and implementation of lockdown and social distancing. Demographic data and COVID-19 pandemic-related data were collected from specific parent-report and self-report questionnaires.Participants Participants included children and adolescents between ages 6 and 16 years, attending a tertiary care hospital without any diagnosed major psychiatric or chronic disorder.Analysis Data were collected at two points (before the COVID-19 pandemic and during it) and compared. Levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were compared and tested for statistically significant differences between these two points using appropriate statistical tests. Regression models were constructed to predict the factors affecting increased anxiety levels and depressive symptoms in the COVID-19 period.Results 832 and 1255 children/adolescents were included in the study during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 times, respectively. The median age of the participants was 10 years (IQR=4 years). The median (IQR) Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale score was 24 (12) at the pre-COVID-19 point and 31 (13) during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001, r=−0.27). 11% and 16% of children reported being depressed at these two-time points, respectively (p=0.004, φc=−0.063). Regression analysis showed that many factors, including the duration of smartphone use, female gender and only child status, were associated with increased anxiety or depression levels.Conclusion A large proportion of children had elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic, suggesting a need for measures to engage children in healthy habits to protect children’s mental health and continuous monitoring of children during such scenarios.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058609.full |
| spellingShingle | Alan Johnson Sayan Mukherjee Sushant Mane Manas Pustake Ajit Bhagwat Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani Misba Sayed Varada Mithbavkar Zaid Memon Abdus Samad Momin Krishna Deshmukh Ayush Chordia Sabyasachi Parida Sanket Warghade Deepankar Varma Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study BMJ Open |
| title | Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Have the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown affected children’s mental health in the long term? A repeated cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | have the covid 19 pandemic and lockdown affected children s mental health in the long term a repeated cross sectional study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e058609.full |
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