Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents: determinants and association with quality of life and mental health—a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The medium-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of children and adolescents remains unclear. More than 2 years into the pandemic, we aimed to quantify the frequency and determinants of having been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and estimate its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health. Methods Data was drawn from a population-based cohort of children and adolescents, recruited between December 2021 and June 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Coronavirus impact scale was used to assess the multidimensional impact of the pandemic on children through parent’s report. A score higher than one standard deviation above the mean was deemed a severe impact. Parents additionally reported about their offspring HRQoL and mental health with validated scales. Determinants of having been severely impacted were assessed with logistic models, as were the associations between having experienced a severe impact and poor HRQoL or mental health. Results Out of 2101 participants aged 2–17, 12.7% had experienced a severe pandemic impact. Having a lasting health condition, a pandemic-related worsening of lifestyle habits or an unfavorable family environment were associated with having been severely impacted by the pandemic, while a previous anti-SARS-CoV-2 infection was not. Participants who had experienced a severe pandemic impact were more likely to present poor HRQoL (aOR = 3.1; 95% CI 2.3–4.4) and poor mental health (aOR = 3.9; 95% CI 2.5–6.2). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic may have persistent consequences on the wellbeing of children and adolescents, especially among those with health and family vulnerabilities.

Protective and risk factors associated with problem behaviors among disadvantaged children and adolescents in rural China during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…A considerable number of longitudinal studies have investigated mental health during the pandemic, observing escalation in anxiety and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents of diverse backgrounds, including those from Australia (Sicouri et al, 2023), China (Chen et al, 2020), European countries such as Germany (Schillok et al, 2023) and Switzerland (Richard et al, 2023), and the United States (Gladstone et al, 2021;Hawes et al, 2021). Relative to research examining mental health, changes in behavioral outcomes during the pandemic are less studied.…”

“…The interruption of day-to-day routines resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, including school closures and social isolation, inevitably posed critical threats to child and adolescent health (Benner & Mistry, 2020). Extant empirical research observes compromises in mental health during the pandemic, such as higher levels of depression and increases in anxiety symptoms and aggression (Deng et al, 2023; Richard et al, 2023; Sicouri et al, 2023; Wei et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2022). Less clear is the impact of the pandemic on other developmental outcomes, such as problem behaviors, among children and adolescents.…”

Health-related quality of life and adherence to physical activity and screen time recommendations in schoolchildren: longitudinal cohort Ciao Corona

“…The combination of high physical activity and low screen time has been shown to have a positive and dose-dependent association with well-being in adolescents [3]. The COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to affect children’s quality of life [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Further, restrictions related to the early phase of the pandemic were associated with more ST and less PA in children [4, 9, 10], as well with an adverse effect on mental health [11, 12].…”

“…Several studies have examined the association between lifestyle and mental health in children during early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic [6, 7, 13, 14, 15]. Many, however, did not include longitudinal changes, or had a small sample size.…”

Unveiling the underside of COVID-19: a pediatric perspective from Pakistan

“…The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted individuals irrespective of their age; however, the impact on children has been comparatively milder than that on adults. 2 Pakistan's mixed population is distributed across four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. These provinces exhibit varying levels of population density, socioeconomic growth, and healthcare amenities.…”