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. 2023 Dec:88:7-14.
doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.10.005. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

Children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based cohort study in the United States

Sanjana Pampati  1 , Jorge V Verlenden  2 , Robyn A Cree  3 , Marci Hertz  2 , Rebecca H Bitsko  3 , Patricia Spencer  4 , Shamia Moore  4 , Shannon L Michael  5 , Patricia J Dittus  2
Affiliations

Children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based cohort study in the United States

Sanjana Pampati et al. Ann Epidemiol. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: Examine children's mental health symptoms, including changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The COVID Experiences Surveys, designed to be representative of the U.S. household population, were administered online to parents of children aged 5-12 years (wave 1 (W1), October-November 2020, n = 1561; wave 2 (W2), March-May 2021, n = 1287). We modeled changes in children's symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychological stress and examined associations between demographic characteristics, COVID-19 related experiences, and protective factors with symptoms across both waves using generalized estimating equations.

Results: Based on parent-report, children's symptoms of anxiety and depression decreased from W1 to W2 (Δ t-score anxiety = -1.8 [95% confidence intervals (CI): -2.5, -1.0]; Δ t-score depression = -1.0 [CI: -1.7, -0.3]). Psychological stress remained consistent. Across waves, older children and children with an emotional, mental, developmental, behavioral, physical, or medical condition were more likely to have specific poor mental health symptoms. Poor mental health symptoms were more likely among children with several contextual stressors (e.g., economic stress, parental emotional strain) and less likely among children with protective factors (e.g., daily routines, neighborhood cohesion).

Conclusions: Establishing programs that support mental health, improving access to mental health services, and fostering collaborations to advance children's mental health is important.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Children; Depression; Disparities; Mental health; Stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Adjusted linear regression was used to model the relationship between each COVID-19 related experience and protective factor experienced at W1 with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychological stress averaging across both waves, after adjustment for the wave indicator and child demographics (age, sex, emotional, mental, developmental, behavioral condition, and physical condition). Full descriptions of COVID-19 experiences and protective factors, including their operationalization, are presented in Supplemental Table 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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