The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric emergency consultations in adolescents

So, Pety; Wierdsma, André I.; Mulder, Cornelis L.; Vermeiren, Robert

doi:10.1186/s40359-023-01085-7

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 34 publications

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“…These preliminary results show that COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on children and adolescents' mental health, particularly in adolescents, where internalizing disorders, especially anxiety/depression problems, recorded the highest results. During the pandemic, in fact, there was an increase in mental emergency consultations for teenagers [42]. In the Italian study carried out by Guido et al, among 322 COVID-19 patients aged between 1.5 and 17 years old, neuropsychological symptoms were analyzed at onset, after 1 month, and after 3-5 months using standardized questionnaires including CBCL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents following COVID-19 Disease: A Case-Control Study

Miraglia del Giudice,

Klain,

Dinardo

et al. 2023

Children

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Introduction: Recent studies show that neuropsychiatric disorders are the most frequent sequelae of COVID-19 in children. Purpose: Our work aimed to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on behavior and sleep in children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 107 patients aged 1.5–18 years who contracted COVID-19 between one year and one month prior to data collection, referred to the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Italy. We asked their parents to complete two standardized questionnaires for the assessment of behavior (Child Behavior CheckList (CBCL)) and sleep (Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SLDS)). We analysed and compared the results with a control group (pre-COVID-19 pandemic). Results: In the COVID-19 group, the major results were found for sleep breathing disorders, sleep–wake transition disorders and disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep for the SDSC questionnaire, and internalizing scale, total scale and anxiety/depression for the CBCL questionnaire. The comparison of the CBCL results of the cases with the controls revealed statistically significant differences for the following items: internalizing scale, externalizing scale, somatic complaints, total score, thought problems [(p < 0.01)], anxious/depressed problems and withdrawn [(p < 0.001)]. Conclusions: COVID-19 has impacted children’s and adolescents’ mental health. Adolescents were the most affected patient group for internalizing problems, including anxiety and depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral and Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents following COVID-19 Disease: A Case-Control Study

Miraglia del Giudice,

Klain,

Dinardo

et al. 2023

Children

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“Psychiatric emergency consultations of minors: a qualitative study of professionals’ experiences”

So,

Nooteboom,

Vullings

et al. 2024

BMC Psychiatry

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Background Psychiatric emergency assessment of minors can be a complex process, especially for professional staff who are not specifically trained in handling child and adolescent emergency patients. As minors cannot usually express their feelings and experiences as well as adults, it is difficult to form an accurate picture of their condition and to determine what kind of emergency care is needed, for instance whether or not a psychiatric emergency admission is necessary. We lack insight in what professionals at emergency departments need to adequately assess these minors and their families. The aim of this study was to explore staff members’ experiences with assessing minors and explore recommendations for improving their ability to provide appropriate support. Methods Guided by a topic list with open-ended questions, we conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with staff working at psychiatric emergency services. Thematic analysis enabled us to identify five main themes: (1) young age and the crucial role of parents; (2) professionals’ feelings, especially uncertainty; (3) psychiatric emergency admissions and the alternatives to them; (4) regional differences in organization and tasks; and (5) options for improving care. Results The staff interviewed all agreed that it was often complicated and time consuming to take full responsibility when assessing minors with serious and urgent psychiatric problems. Most found it difficult to determine which behaviors were and were not age-appropriate, and how to handle systemic problems during the assessment. When assessing minors and their families in crisis, this led to uncertainty. Professionals were especially insecure when assessing children under age 12 and their families, feeling they lacked the appropriate knowledge and routine. Conclusion Customized expertise development and improved regional embedding of the psychiatric emergency service in the child and adolescent services will reduce professionals’ uncertainty and improve psychiatric emergency care for minors.

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Pediatric suicide attempts lagged during the COVID-19 pandemic: a European multicenter study

Moscoso,

Cousien,

Serra

et al. 2024

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background Elevated rates of suicidal behavior were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, information is scarce on patients’ profiles during this period. Studies evoke the potential adverse effects of the mandatory lockdown, but they remain relatively speculative. Methods We monitored fluctuations in suicide attempts (SA) in six European countries. We gathered data, retrospectively for under 18-year-old SA episodes (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021), through records of psychiatric emergency services. We collected clinical profiles individually. We extracted environmental indicators by month, as provided by Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). We used the Pruned Exact Linear Time (PELT) method to identify breakpoints in SA episodes reported for each country, and logistic regressions to estimate changes in patients’ characteristics after the breakpoints. Finally, we used a univariate and multivariate negative binomial model to assess the link between SA and OxCGRT indicators, accounting for the delay (lag) between the interventions and their impact on SA. Results The study comprised 2,833 children and adolescents (mean age = 15.1 years (SD 1.6); M: F sex-ratio = 1:5.4). A significant increase in SA was found either 6 or 10 months after the beginning of the pandemic, varying by country. Patients were more likely to be girls (aOR = 1.77 [1.34; 2.34]) and used SA methods “other than self-poisoning” (aOR = 1.34 [1.05; 1.7]). In the multivariate model, an association was found between SA and the contact tracing indicator with an 11 months delay, and the number of COVID-19 deaths with a 3-months delay. Conclusions Findings confirmed a delayed increase in SA during the COVID-19 pandemic in children and adolescents as well as changes in patients’ profiles. The duration and severity of the pandemic emerged as the strongest predictor in the rise of SA. If faced with a similar pandemic in the future, the gap between the onset of pandemic and the increase in suicide attempts presents an opportunity for prevention.

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric emergency consultations in adolescents

Cited by 4 publications

References 34 publications

Behavioral and Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents following COVID-19 Disease: A Case-Control Study

Behavioral and Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents following COVID-19 Disease: A Case-Control Study

“Psychiatric emergency consultations of minors: a qualitative study of professionals’ experiences”

Pediatric suicide attempts lagged during the COVID-19 pandemic: a European multicenter study

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