Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;36(9):2797-2810.
doi: 10.1007/s00467-021-05041-8. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

COVID-19: experiences of lockdown and support needs in children and young adults with kidney conditions

Yincent Tse  1 , Anne-Sophie E Darlington  2 , Kay Tyerman  3 , Dean Wallace  4 , Tanya Pankhurst  5 , Sofia Chantziara  2 , David Culliford  6 , Alejandra Recio-Saucedo  7 , Arvind Nagra  8
Affiliations

COVID-19: experiences of lockdown and support needs in children and young adults with kidney conditions

Yincent Tse et al. Pediatr Nephrol. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Background: During the initial COVID-19 pandemic, young United Kingdom (UK) kidney patients underwent lockdown and those with increased vulnerabilities socially isolated or 'shielded' at home. The experiences, information needs, decision-making and support needs of children and young adult (CYA) patients or their parents during this period is not well known.

Methods: A UK-wide online survey co-produced with patients was conducted in May 2020 amongst CYA aged 12-30, or parents of children aged < 18 years with any long-term kidney condition. Participants answered qualitative open text alongside quantitative closed questions. Thematic content analysis using a three-stage coding process was conducted.

Results: One-hundred and eighteen CYA (median age 21) and 197 parents of children (median age 10) responded. Predominant concerns from CYA were heightened vigilance about viral (68%) and kidney symptoms (77%) and detrimental impact on education or work opportunities (70%). Parents feared the virus more than CYA (71% vs. 40%), and had concerns that their child would catch the virus from them (64%) and would have an adverse impact on other children at home (65%). CYA thematic analysis revealed strong belief of becoming seriously ill if they contracted COVID-19; lost educational opportunities, socialisation and career development; and frustration with the public for not following social distancing rules. Positive outcomes included improved family relationships and community cohesion. Only a minority (14-21% CYA and 20-31% parents, merged questions) desired more support. Subgroup analysis identified greater negative psychological impact in the shielded group.

Conclusions: This survey demonstrates substantial concern and need for accurate tailored advice for CYA based on individualised risks to improve shared decision making.

Keywords: Age; COVID-19; Paediatrics; Quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Children and young adults aged 12–30 years with chronic kidney conditions. Amalgamated responses of those who answered ‘quite a bit’ or ‘very much’ to each question
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Parents of children and young adults aged 12–30 years with chronic kidney conditions. Amalgamated responses of those who answered ‘quite a bit’ or ‘very much’ to each question
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, Rubin GJ. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395:912–920. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhou S-J, Zhang L-G, Wang L-L, Guo Z-C, Wang J-Q, Chen J-C, Liu M, Chen X, Chen J-X. Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological health problems in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020;29:749–758. doi: 10.1007/s00787-020-01541-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bakr A, Amr M, Sarhan A, Hammad A, Ragab M, El-Refaey A, El-Mougy A. Psychiatric disorders in children with chronic renal failure. Pediatr Nephrol. 2007;22:128–131. doi: 10.1007/s00467-006-0298-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fukunishi I, Honda M. School adjustment of children with end-stage renal disease. Pediatr Nephrol. 1995;9:553–557. doi: 10.1007/BF00860928. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kilicoglu AG, Bahali K, Canpolat N, Bilgic A, Mutlu C, Yalçın Ö, Pehlivan G, Sever L. Impact of end-stage renal disease on psychological status and quality of life. Pediatr Int. 2016;58:1316–1321. doi: 10.1111/ped.13026. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources