Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial well-being of children with neuromuscular disorders

Abstract

To examine the impact of COVID-19 on the psychosocial wellbeing in children with neuromuscular disorders (NMD), the parents of 41 children with NMD aged 3-12 years completed a survey during COVID-19 pandemic. The findings were compared to those of the parents of 164 matched typically-developed (TD) children. Health-related quality of life and lifestyle habits of the NMD group were compared with the TD group using independent two-sample t-test. Children with NMD with uninterrupted disease-modifying treatments showed higher PedsQL total scores during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic state (p=0.012). PedsQL total score in the NMD group was significantly lower than the TD group (p<0.001). Those with disrupted rehabilitation training (73.8% of NMD group) had significant lower PedsQL scores compared to those with continuous training (p = 0.012). Parental guidance on the usage of electronic devices was significantly associated with the total score of PedsQL, particularly in the NMD group (p=0.007). In conclusion, children with NMD have had a poorer quality of life than TD children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study highlights the importance of parental guidance on electronic device usage, the continuation of drug treatment, and rehabilitation training for the psychosocial wellbeing of children with NMD during the pandemic.