Mental Health Symptoms in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 in Australia

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 has led to disruptions to the lives of Australian families through social distancing, school closures, a temporary move to home-based online learning, and effective lockdown. Understanding the effects on youth mental health is crucial to inform policies to support communities as they face the pandemic and future crises. This paper sought to report on mental health symptoms in Australian children and adolescents during the initial stages of the pandemic (May to November 2020) and to examine its association with child/family characteristics and exposure to the broad COVID-19 environment. Methods: An online longitudinal survey was completed by 1,324 parents and carers of Australian children aged 4 to 17 years. Parents/carers reported on their child’s mental health using five measures, including emotional symptoms, conduct disorder problems, hyperactivity/inattention, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Child/family characteristics and COVID-related variables were measured. Results: Overall, 30.5%, 26.3% and 9.5% of our sample scored in the high to very high range for emotional problems, conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention, respectively. Similarly, 20.2% and 20.4% of our sample scored in the clinical range for anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms respectively. A child’s pre-existing mental health diagnosis, neurodevelopmental condition and chronic illness significantly predicted parent-reported youth mental health symptoms. Parental mental health symptoms, having a close contact with COVID-19 and applying for government financial assistance during COVID-19 were also significant predictors of youth mental health symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings show that Australian youth experienced considerable levels of mental health symptoms during the initial phase of COVID-19, and highlight the need for targeted, effective support for affected youth and particularly for those with pre-existing vulnerabilities

Short Research Article: Changes in life functioning in a self‐help, online program for child and adolescent anxiety

“…It is plausible that those young people completing the programme at a faster pace may not experience the same improvements in functioning or anxiety symptoms as those completing the programme at a slower pace. Further, given the data collection period extended into the COVID‐19 pandemic, it is possible that other stressors and impacts, such as those associated with COVID‐19 and the context of public health restrictions contributed to the lack of change in interference for adolescents (Sicouri et al., 2021).…”

“I'm the Family Ringmaster and Juggler”: Autistic Parents' Experiences of Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…18,19 Although there have been some reported positive effects of lockdowns, including a slower pace of life and more family time, 20 findings have consistently demonstrated the detrimental impact of the COVID-19-related restrictions on parental stress and mental health, and parent-child dynamics across the population, 18,19,[21][22][23][24] particularly for mothers, 25 parents with pre-existing mental health conditions, 22 and parents who might be vulnerable in some other way, including through social disadvantage, being a single parent, and/or caring for a child(ren) with a neurodevelopmental condition. 24,26 Many autistic adults have reported a deterioration in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, [27][28][29][30] especially women and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, 27,31 as well as a disruption to their usual services and supports. 28,30,32 Parents of autistic children also appear to have fared badly during the pandemic, especially in terms of challenges to their and their children's mental health and well-being, [33][34][35][36][37] although rarely it is reported whether the parents themselves are also autistic.…”