How COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Psychological Behavior of Kids?

The impact of COVID-19 on kids has just started to take precedence. New research regarding social isolation, parental angst, and uncertainty has revealed significant effects on children and adolescents. Since more than 4 million people have died because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has mostly paid attention to the physical impact of the pandemic. However, the psychological effects of the pandemic are all too real, even for children.

Kids Psychologically Affected by COVID-19 Had Higher Levels of Depression and Anxiety

A survey of 359 children and 3254 adolescents in China revealed that 22.3% of the young individuals indicated clinical depressive symptoms, which is higher than the 13.2% estimation of youth depression in China. Also, anxiety levels were found higher after COVID-19 compared to previously reported.

Those who had a family member or friend with COVID-19 had higher anxiety levels than those who didn't.

Another online survey of 8079 junior and senior high school students in China revealed a 43.7% prevalence of depressive symptoms. It also reflected a 37.4% prevalence of both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Higher symptoms of anxiety and depression were found in females, increasing from junior to senior high. There were students without depression and anxiety symptoms; however, they had excellent knowledge about disease control and preventive measures compared to students with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Similar studies carried out in Bangladesh, Italy, Spain, etc., showed results of varying degrees.

Causes of the Effects of COVID-19 on Children

Children experienced significant psychological disruptions during the pandemic due to the lockdowns and quarantines enforced in various countries. While necessary for public health safety, the quarantines left children in a state of social isolation. Furthermore, several children had to deal with the effects of financial hardships, gaps in healthcare access, etc.

In May 2020, 29% of parents in the US said their children's mental health had been harmed. The number climbed to 31% in October 2020 when parents reported their children's health was worse than before the pandemic. Several children in the US were already residing with mental health disorders throughout 2018 and 2019. Different organizations have recorded several root causes of this increase in mental illness during the pandemic, including the National Survey of Children's Health, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

These causes include:

1) Social distancing and stay-at-home orders can lead to loneliness and isolation among children. These are known risk factors for poor mental health and cognitive thinking.

2) Income insecurity and psychological pressure on parents during the pandemic could also have affected kids' mental health. This may be associated with the rise in child abuse cases.

3) Limited data on children with diversified races showed that even before the pandemic, they had higher rates of mental illness. However, they were less likely to have access to it.

Specific Effects of COVID-19 on Children

LGBTQ+ Youth

Surveys of LGBTQ+ adolescent respondents aged 13-17 years showed that 73% had anxiety, 67% had depression, and 48% had severe suicidal thoughts.

Adolescents

Data collected during the pandemic has shown the adolescents experienced poor mental health outcomes. Shortly after the pandemic, more than 25% of high school students reported worse emotional and cognitive health.

A survey of high school students found that nearly a third felt they were unable to cope with their sources of stress. This includes strained mental health and poor relationships. Private health insurance data backed up this claim. Nearly all healthcare claims for adolescents aged 13-18 years were down in 2020 compared to 2019.

However, mental health-related claims for the same age group had seen a sharp rise.

Children of Different Races

Children of different races were already subject to unequal access to mental and physical healthcare before the pandemic. When school was suspended, they couldn't even gain access to school health services.

Asian children were also at risk of adverse mental health outcomes because of Anti-Asian racism, which emerged during the pandemic. Native American adolescent girls were also three times more likely to commit suicide than white adolescent girls. Studies also found that suicide rates among black children and teens have also been increasing much faster than among non-black children and teens.

Young Children

47% of parents with young children reported they were more worried about their kid's social development than before the pandemic. 4% of parents with children aged 5-12 years showed that their children indicated elevated symptoms of depression. 6% said they exhibited anxiety, 9% said they complained about psychological stress.

Overall, 22% said they showed signs of worsening mental health. 25% of parents with children attending school virtually were likely to report signs of worsening mental health, and 16% of parents whose children were attending school physically were expected to do the same.

The Effects of COVID-19 on children have been extremely severe, and most countries in the world have inadequate solutions towards taking preventive measures to address the psychological concern.

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