The mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents: Risk and protective factors.

Last year, COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, managed to infect more than 200 million humans, cause almost 5 million deaths, and establish itself as a prevailing matter in all facts of life (Worldometer, Coronavirus cases). While the medical details of COVID-19 have seen extensive research, relatively less attention has been paid to its mental health effects, especially in the context of children and adolescents. Our aim in this report is to discuss and analyze the various results of previous studies in this field and conduct our own analyses to bring forth new conclusions. The creation of this report was overseen by the World Health Organization's EPI-WIN Team.

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Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on mental health of children and adolescents in Greece

10.1101/2020.10.18.20214643 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Konstantina Magklara ◽

Helen Lazaratou ◽

Anastasia Barbouni ◽

Konstantinos Poulas ◽

Konstantinos Farsalinos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Health Effects ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Previous History ◽

Considerable Proportion ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mental Health Effects ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackgroundMental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures are expected to be profound.AimThe aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown on children’s and adolescents’ mental health in Greece.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 1,232 Greek parents of children and adolescents aged < 18 years was conducted in March and May 2020. Parents provided information about sociodemographic characteristics, family everyday life during the lockdown and the pandemic psychological impact on their children.ResultsApproximately one-third (35.1%) of parents reported that the psychological health of their children was considerably affected. The most significant concern was social isolation. Unemployment, increased family conflicts, no opportunity for tele-work and a deteriorating psychological health of the parent, as well as children’s previous history of physical health conditions were all significantly associated with adverse mental health impact.ConclusionA considerable proportion of children and adolescents may experience adverse mental health effects due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures, and socioeconomic inequalities may be associated with these effects.

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