Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Emotional Well-Being and Parental Stress

Abstract

(1) Introduction: The aim of our research was to explore emotional/behavioral changes in adolescents with neuropsychiatric conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and parental stress levels through a standardized assessment, comparing the data collected before and during the first months of lockdown. Moreover, an additional goal was to detect a possible relationship between emotional/behavioural symptoms of adolescents and the stress levels of their parents. (2) Methods: We enrolled 178 Italian adolescents aged between 12–18 that were referred to the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Salerno with different neuropsychiatric diagnoses. Two standardized questionnaires were provided to all parents for the assessment of parental stress (PSI-Parenting Stress Index-Short Form) and the emotional/behavioral problems of their children (Child Behaviour Check List). The data collected from questionnaires administered during the six months preceding the pandemic, as is our usual clinical practice, were compared to those recorded during the pandemic. (3) Results: The statistical comparison of PSI and CBCL scores before/during the pandemic showed a statistically significant increase in all subscales in the total sample. The correlation analysis highlighted a significant positive relationship between Parental Stress and Internalizing/Externalizing symptoms of adolescent patients. Age and gender did not significantly affect CBCL and PSI scores, while the type of diagnosis could affect behavioral symptoms and parental stress. (4) Conclusions: our study suggests that the lockdown and the containment measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic could have aggravated the emotional/behavioral symptoms of adolescents with neuropsychiatric disorders and the stress of their parents. Further studies should be conducted in order to monitor the evolution of these aspects over time.

Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with epilepsy and primary headache: a cross-sectional observational study

“…For this reason, we also measured the stress level in parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy to determine if and how parental stress is linked to the condition of their children. According to previous literature data ( 31 – 33 ) and using PSI as a psychodiagnostics tool, we found statistically significant levels in terms of parenting stress in the study group compared to controls.…”

The Ketogenic Diet in Children with Epilepsy: A Focus on Parental Stress and Family Compliance

“…Furthermore, in this regard, we should also consider that our study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this may have been an additional factor that impacted parental stress [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Some recent research showed that the COVID-19 pandemic can be a source of parental stress in parents of children and adolescents with various neuropsychiatric conditions, including epilepsy [ 33 , 34 ]. On the other hand, an observational study by Armeno and colleagues (2022) [ 35 ] did not highlight additional difficulties in managing the KD during the COVID-19 pandemic and supported the feasibility and safety of initiating and managing the KD by telemedicine.…”

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“…It is already known that neurodevelopmental disorders are related to an increase in parental stress levels [48][49][50][51]. The analysis of change in parental stress over time showed a significant increase in parental stress levels during the first lockdown compared to pre-COVID levels; on the contrary, after 1-year follow-up no significant change in parental stress was found.…”