Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with underlying health and disability issues, and their families and health care providers

David B Nicholas¹, Rosslynn T Zulla¹, Olivia Conlon¹, Gina Dimitropoulos², Simon Urschel^{3

4}, Adam Rapoport^{5

6

7}, Sherri Lynne Katz^{8

9

10}, Aisha Bruce^{3

4}, Lori J West^{3

4}, Mark Belletrutti^{11

12}, Emma Cullen², Lonnie Zwaigenbaum^{3

4

13}

Affiliations

¹ University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Central and Northern Alberta Region, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
² Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁴ Stollery Children's Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁵ The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Emily's House Children's Hospice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁰ Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
¹¹ British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹³ Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

PMID: 35620553
PMCID: PMC9126279
DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxab103

Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with underlying health and disability issues, and their families and health care providers

David B Nicholas et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2022.

. 2022 May 9;27(Suppl 1):S33-S39.

doi: 10.1093/pch/pxab103. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Central and Northern Alberta Region, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
² Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁴ Stollery Children's Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
⁵ The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Emily's House Children's Hospice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁰ Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
¹¹ British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹² Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹³ Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

PMID: 35620553
PMCID: PMC9126279
DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxab103

Abstract

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted mental health at a population level. Families of children with health vulnerabilities have been disproportionately affected by pandemic-related policies and service disruptions as they substantially rely on the health and social care system. We elicited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with health and disability-related vulnerabilities, their families, and their health care providers (HCPs).

Methods: Children with diverse health vulnerabilities (cardiac transplantation, respiratory conditions, sickle cell disease, autism spectrum disorder, mental health issues, and nearing the end of life due to a range of underlying causes), as well as their parents and HCPs, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis in determining themes related to impact and recommendations for practice improvement.

Results: A total of 262 participants (30 children, 76 parents, 156 HCPs) were interviewed. Children described loneliness and isolation; parents described feeling burnt out; and HCPs described strain and a sense of moral distress. Themes reflected mental health impacts on children, families, and HCPs, with insufficient resources to support mental health; organizational and policy influences that shaped service delivery; and recommendations to enhance service delivery.

Conclusion: Children with health vulnerabilities, their families and HCPs incurred profound mental health impacts due to pandemic-imposed public health restrictions and care shifts. Recommendations include the development and application of targeted pandemic information and mental health supports. These findings amplify the need for capacity building, including proactive strategies and mitigative planning in the event of a future pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health challenges; Mental health; Paediatric; Pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Les effets de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la santé mentale des enfants atteints de problèmes de santé physique ou d’incapacités, des familles et des professionnels de la santé.
Nicholas DB, Zulla RT, Conlon O, Dimitropoulos G, Urschel S, Rapoport A, Katz SL, Bruce A, West LJ, Belletrutti M, Cullen E, Zwaigenbaum L. Nicholas DB, et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2022 Sep 8;27(Suppl 2):S115-S122. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxac009. eCollection 2022 Sep. Paediatr Child Health. 2022. PMID: 36092296 Free PMC article. French.

References

1. Senkalfa BP, Eyuboglu TS, Aslan, AT, et al. . Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety among children with cystic fibrosis and their mothers. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2020;55:2128–34. - PMC - PubMed
1. Bellomo TR, Prasad S, Munzer T, Laventhal N.. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with autism spectrum disorders. J Pediatr Rehabil Med 2020;13(3):349–54. - PubMed
1. Colizzi M, Sironi E, Antonini F, Ciceri ML, Bovo C, Zoccante L.. Psychosocial and behavioral impact of COVID-19 in autism spectrum disorder: An online parent survey. Brain Sci. 2020;10:1–14. - PMC - PubMed
1. Tokatly Latzer I, Leitner Y, Karnieli-Miller O.. Core experiences of parents of children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Autism 2021;25(4):1047–59. - PubMed
1. Graell M, Morón-Nozaleda MG, Camarneiro R, et al. . Children and adolescents with eating disorders during COVID-19 confinement: Difficulties and future challenges. Eur Eat Disord Rev 2020;28(6):864–70. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Europe PubMed Central
- PubMed Central

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with underlying health and disability issues, and their families and health care providers

Affiliations

Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with underlying health and disability issues, and their families and health care providers

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Comment in

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources