Risk for Developmental Delay Among Infants Born During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: Attempts by governments around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have substantially altered the early rearing environment, raising concerns about potential negative consequences for babies born during this time. The objective of this study was to determine whether infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic were at greater risk of screening positive for developmental delay compared with infants born before the pandemic. Methods: Participants were from 2 longitudinal cohorts. The prepandemic cohort, Impact of Maternal and Paternal Postpartum Depression, recruited postpartum individuals in the period between 2015 and 2018. Infant development milestone data (Ages and Stages Questionnaire [ASQ-3]) were collected at 1-year postpartum (n = 2903), between 2016 and 2019. The pandemic cohort, Pregnancy during the Pandemic, recruited pregnant individuals between April 2020 and April 2021. Infant development milestone data (ASQ-3) were collected at 1-year postpartum (n = 3742), between May 2021 and December 2022. Sociodemographic information, pregnancy outcomes, and depression symptom data were also collected. Results: In covariate-adjusted analyses, pandemic-born infants had lower mean scores and higher odds of screening positive for delay on the Communication, Gross Motor, and Personal-Social domains of the ASQ-3 compared with prepandemic infants. Sex differences showed that males and females screened “at risk” in different domains. Conclusion: Most pandemic-born infants display typical development, and differences between prepandemic and pandemic-born infants were small. Nevertheless, an increased risk for delayed development among pandemic-born infants suggests the need for ongoing monitoring to determine what, if any, resources and interventions are needed to support healthy child development.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Stunting, Wasting, and Underweight Among Children Under Two Years of Age Born During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Central India: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Shuffrey et al in 2022 reported that birth during the pandemic was associated with delayed development, independent of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection status, among American children [ 15 ]. Similar findings have been reported for Canadian and Irish infants [ 16 , 17 ]. There is an overall dearth of global data regarding growth indicators (wasting, stunting and underweight) among pandemic-born children which can independently affect childhood development.…”

A 9‐year retrospective cohort study of the monitoring and screening of childhood developmental delay in Thailand

“…As well as widespread morbidity and mortality, the COVID‐19 pandemic has had a worldwide impact on economic instability and poverty (Araújo et al, 2021; Giesbrecht et al, 2023; Renov et al, 2022; Roos et al, 2021; Shang et al, 2021; Vicente et al, 2022). The results of a study in the United States highlighted a decline in the number of children receiving developmental assessments due to the sudden decrease in early intervention services because of the pandemic [REF].…”

“…Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted general health and child developmental assessment in many countries, including Thailand, due to widespread social confinement (Araújo et al, 2021;Giesbrecht et al, 2023;Renov et al, 2022;Roos et al, 2021;Vicente et al, 2022). Previously, researchers have found that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and cognitive performance compared to children born beforehand (Deoni et al, 2021;Giesbrecht et al, 2023).…”

“…A study of the surveillance of child development from 0 to 5 years of age by a health provider in Thailand indicates that 11.75% of children are unreachable for developmental screening (Chattopadhyay & Aneja, 2021; Kanpirom & Masena, 2017). Moreover, the COVID‐19 pandemic negatively impacted general health and child developmental assessment in many countries, including Thailand, due to widespread social confinement (Araújo et al, 2021; Giesbrecht et al, 2023; Renov et al, 2022; Roos et al, 2021; Vicente et al, 2022). Previously, researchers have found that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and cognitive performance compared to children born beforehand (Deoni et al, 2021; Giesbrecht et al, 2023).…”

“…Moreover, the COVID‐19 pandemic negatively impacted general health and child developmental assessment in many countries, including Thailand, due to widespread social confinement (Araújo et al, 2021; Giesbrecht et al, 2023; Renov et al, 2022; Roos et al, 2021; Vicente et al, 2022). Previously, researchers have found that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and cognitive performance compared to children born beforehand (Deoni et al, 2021; Giesbrecht et al, 2023). The unexpected and sudden decrease in early intervention services has not only compromised opportunities to support childhood development during the early critical years of brain growth but also added to the stress and well‐being of children and their families (Roos et al, 2021; Vicente et al, 2022).…”