The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people

Psychiatriki. 2023 Dec 29;34(4):265-268. doi: 10.22365/jpsych.2023.024. Epub 2023 Nov 14.ABSTRACTIn March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, and youth worldwide were suddenly confronted with unprecedented consequences. The first line of concern was related to the direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. While severe physical health symptomatology including death following infection was found to be less common in children than in adults,1 long-COVID has been identified in the pediatric population with the most prevalent manifestations involving mood symptoms, sleep difficulties, and fatigue.2 Secondly, the measures against COVID-19 carried their own set of risks. Many governments imposed national lockdowns, schools closed, remote learning started operating and social distancing measures prevented families from visiting public places or meeting people from other households. Isolation, disruption of everyday routines, and a sharp and dramatic decrease in physical activity and social interaction levels became the new reality experienced by children and adolescents of all age groups.3 Cross-sectional community studies on children and adolescents conducted early in the course of the pandemic indicated elevated levels of loneliness, anxiety, and behavioral problems in youth samples, even during the initial phases of the outbreak.4 Systematic reviews of mainly cross-sectional studies that followed indicated a significant rise...
Source: Psychiatriki - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research