Mental health of children of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Children are exposed to large amounts of information and high levels of stress and anxiety from adults around them, the media, and social communication networks during the Covid-19 period. The purpose of this study was to compare the anxiety and depression levels of the children of health workers following the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of Covid-19 as a global pandemic with those of age-matched children of non-health worker parents. This prospective, case-controlled, cross-sectional study was performed between July and September 2020. One hundred forty-six participants were enrolled, 71 children of health worker parents in the study group, and 75 age- and sex-matched children of non-health worker parents in the control group. While no significant difference was determined between the children of health workers and non-health workers in terms of CDI scores, total STAI-C scores were higher among children of health workers (70.36 ± 12.43) than in children of non-health worker parents (65.62 ± 11.83) ( p = .02). This study shows that since their parents work in intensive and high-risk environments during the Covid-19 pandemic, the children of health workers may be at greater psychological risk than other children.

Global burden of mental health problems among children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the percentage of Bangladeshi children who suffered from mental health disturbances ranged from 43% for subthreshold disturbances to 7.2% for severe disturbances ( Yeasmin et al., 2020 ). In Turkey, children of health workers had significantly higher anxiety levels measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C) than non-health workers’ children ( Almis et al., 2022 ). In Ireland, a qualitative study showed that adolescents and children experienced increased rates of social isolation, maladaptive behavior, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic ( O'Sullivan et al., 2021 ).…”

Changes in emotion regulation skills of school age children from the eyes of healthcare workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Turkey: A cross‐sectional study

“…However, the study also found a significant difference between the two groups of children regarding anxiety levels, with the children whose parents were healthcare workers experiencing more anxiety. These findings are critical because they show that children whose parents work in highly risky settings are at greater risk compared with other children 16 …”

“…4,6,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] However, only a few studies that inform about changes in children's physical, psychological, and developmental states were encountered in the related Turkish literature. [16][17][18][19] It is of critical importance to know the implicit consequences of the pandemic on children to support children and families in a more qualified way. In this regard, considering the fact that emotion regulation is the leading dimension of psychological health, this study investigated the emotion regulation competency of children of healthcare workers in terms of various variables during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…Many different studies have been undertaken to depict the situation in Turkey, on healthcare personnels' physical and psychological wellness during the pandemic, some of which are revisions or letters to the editor and some of which are original research papers 4,6,9–15 . However, only a few studies that inform about changes in children's physical, psychological, and developmental states were encountered in the related Turkish literature 16–19 . It is of critical importance to know the implicit consequences of the pandemic on children to support children and families in a more qualified way.…”

Global burden of mental health problems among children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic umbrella review

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the percentage of Bangladeshi children who suffered from mental health disturbances ranged from 43% for subthreshold disturbances to 7.2% for severe disturbances [30]. In Turkey, children of health workers had significantly higher anxiety levels measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C) than non-health workers’ children [31]. In Ireland, a qualitative study showed that adolescents and children experienced increased rates of social isolation, maladaptive behavior, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic [32].…”