Coping Behaviors and Psychological Disturbances in Youth Affected by the COVID-19 Health Crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine undergone by children in many countries is a stressful situation about which little is known to date. Children and adolescents' behaviors to cope with home confinement may be associated with their emotional welfare. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the coping strategies used out by children and adolescents during the COVID-19 health crisis, (2) to analyze the differences in these behaviors in three countries, and (3) to examine the relationship between different coping modalities and adaptation. Participants were 1,480 parents of children aged 3–18 years from three European countries (nSpain = 431, nItaly = 712, and nPortugal = 355). The children's mean age was 9.15 years (SD = 4.27). Parents completed an online survey providing information on symptoms and coping behaviors observed in their children. The most frequent coping strategies were accepting what is happening (58.9%), collaborating with quarantine social activities (e.g., drawings on the windows, supportive applauses) (35.9%), acting as if nothing is happening (35.5%), highlighting the advantages of being at home (35.1%), and not appearing to be worried about what is happening (30.1%). Compared to Italian and Spanish children, Portuguese children used a sense of humor more frequently when their parents talked about the situation. Acting as if nothing was happening, collaborating with social activities, and seeking comfort from others were more likely in Spanish children than in children from the other countries. Compared to Portuguese and Spanish children, Italian children did not seem worried about what was happening. Overall, an emotional-oriented coping style was directly correlated with a greater presence of anxious symptoms, as well as to mood, sleep, behavioral, and cognitive alterations. Task-oriented and avoidance-oriented styles were related to better psychological adaptation (considered a low presence of psychological symptoms). Results also show that unaffected children or children with a lower level of impact were more likely to use strategies based on a positive focus on the situation. This study provides interesting data on the strategies to be promoted by parents to cope with the COVID-19 health crisis in children.

Psychological Symptoms in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese Youth During the COVID-19 Health Crisis: A Longitudinal Study

“…In the Spanish sample, no significant differences were found between the three measurements, except for anxiety, which was more likely five weeks after the confinement than at the first assessment, and decreased from the second to the third assessment. Anxiety symptoms are commonly reported manifestations related to children’s stress during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 5 , 6 , 10 , 16 ]. In line with these findings, it is not surprising that, in the present study, the level of Spanish children with anxiety symptoms increased after five weeks of being confined.…”

“…Parents had to deal with many stressors during the lockdown, such as taking care of their children´s learning, working from home, or managing the household [ 1 – 3 ]. Children also had to face the stress derived from the pandemic [ 4 – 6 ]. School closure changed children’s academic routines, and the social distance limited their relationships to indoors.…”

Friend Support and Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adolescence During COVID‐19

“…There is mixed evidence for the main effect of spending time with friends on internalizing problems: Spending more time with peers has been linked to a decrease in social anxiety one year later, even when controlling for prior social anxiety (Nelemans et al., 2016 ). Yet, a cross‐sectional study found that adolescents were particularly at risk to experience depressive symptoms if they spent more time with friends during the COVID‐19 crisis (Ellis, Dumas, & Forbes, 2020 ), possibly because they use more emotion‐oriented coping strategies, such as co‐rumination (Starr, 2015 ), that have been associated with internalizing symptoms (Duan et al., 2020 ; Orgilés et al., 2021 ).…”

Kidcope and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Understanding High School Students’ Coping and Emotional Well-Being

“…Most research examining adolescent coping during the pandemic has been conducted in Europe or Asia; therefore, cultural differences in the way a young person copes may exist. For example, Orgilés et al [ 47 ] examined coping behaviors among youths in three European countries, finding that strategies varied by country. Scholars have noted that coping with extreme stressors varies by culture; however, these differences have yet to be extensively studied [ 48 ].…”