Editorial: ‘In our time’: Has the pandemic changed the way we write and read mental health and neurodevelopmental disorder research reviews?

Abstract

The past year was marked by upheaval, as countries across the globe shut down in the face of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although the topics for this year’s Annual Research Review were decided long before most of had heard of the coronavirus, many readers may find themselves reading the papers in this issue through a pandemic lens. For some authors, the COVID‐19 pandemic and the social unrest that characterized parts of the world where these authors live are likely to have shaped the way they ultimately framed the topics of their reviews. This issue serves as a reminder that it is critical to read science in social and historical context. Our preoccupations as psychologists and psychiatrists reflect our cultural values and societal experiences at a particular time and place.

Virtual Reality and Wearable Technologies to Support Adaptive Responding of Children and Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Critical Comment and New Perspectives

“…Additionally, their chronic clinical conditions may represent a relevant burden for both caregivers and families, next to a significant threat for their health and a cost for medical services (Hickie et al, 2019 ; Kim et al, 2019 ). Covid-19 pandemic dramatically and suddenly exacerbated their fragile health conditions due to unavailability of medical or rehabilitative services and preventive measures such as quarantine and social distancing (Ehrler et al, 2021 ; Jaffee, 2021 ; Masi et al, 2021 ). In fact, their quality of life may be seriously hampered and both caregivers and families's burden may drastically increase (Dhiman et al, 2020 ; Townsend, 2020 ; Farajzadeh et al, 2021 ; Zimmer et al, 2021 ).…”