Children’s Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19: How Things Stand and the Aftermath

Abstract

Currently, the world is facing immediate and unexpected changes every day due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These environmental stimulations have an impact on mental health, particularly in the case of children. Worldwide measures such as quarantine, social and physical distancing, and school closure can potentially take a toll on children’s mental health, in both the short and long terms. Grief, adjustment disorder and acute stress disorder (ASD) are some of the mental health issues that children are prone to suffer during a pandemic, leading to mood disorder, psychosis and even suicidal tendency, if not addressed and treated timely. As the pandemic continues, it is crucial to monitor children’s mental health status. Parents/ caregivers must receive continuous guidance on handling the situation appropriately. Both professionals and families/caregivers must tend to children’s mental health needs to safeguard their overall well-being.

Italian adolescents’ adjustment before and during the coronavirus disease 2019: A comparison between mothers’ and adolescents’ perception

“…Although the COVID‐19 has led public health to focus its attention on the physical health of older and more vulnerable people, young people should not be forgotten, as the onset of most mental health problems is detected in adolescence (Ramadhan et al., 2020 ), making it crucial to early recognize and promptly treat any related signs identified in this period.…”

Consequences of Confinement Due to COVID-19 in Spain on Anxiety, Sleep and Executive Functioning of Children and Adolescents with ADHD

“…The COVID-19 pandemic is one of very few social events to have had such an important impact on human psychology, especially due to the number of people affected and the influence it has had on all spheres of life [3]. All of this has led to a high level of psychological pressure on people in various countries [4,5], altering the mental health of adults, children, and adolescents and leading to changes in mood, behavior, and other daily habits, which may put the mental health of many people at risk both now and in the not-too-distant future [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The pandemic and confinement has affected people of all characteristics; however, a specifically vulnerable group are children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and it is to be expected that the effects of confinement on their mental health will be more intense.…”

“…The pandemic and confinement has affected people of all characteristics; however, a specifically vulnerable group are children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and it is to be expected that the effects of confinement on their mental health will be more intense. The emotional stress that this situation generates has neurobiological consequences that increase the probability of exacerbating concomitant diseases and vulnerability to meeting the criteria for mental disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, sleep disorders, and acute stress [4,12,[15][16][17][18], among others.…”

Exposure to Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Potent Threat to the Mental Well-being of Children

“…I read with interest the recent article by Ramadhan et al where they discussed how the unprecedented scale of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about tremendous ramifications on the state of children’s mental health ( 1 ). Apart from the points raised in the article, one notable aspect deserving emphasis is the psychological impact in children as a result of the purported surge of domestic violence (DV) in many of the countries that imposed a stay-at-home requirement ( 2 , 3 ).…”