Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Background and aims: The outbreak of COVID-19 led to a significant psychological impact on individuals, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups. This study aimed to synthesize literature on the psychological impact of COVID-19 among children and adolescents. Methods: Electronic search engi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176211021789 |
| _version_ | 1818832870052986880 |
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| author | Nishtha Chawla Ashlyn Tom Mahadev Singh Sen Rajesh Sagar |
| author_facet | Nishtha Chawla Ashlyn Tom Mahadev Singh Sen Rajesh Sagar |
| author_sort | Nishtha Chawla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and aims: The outbreak of COVID-19 led to a significant psychological impact on individuals, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups. This study aimed to synthesize literature on the psychological impact of COVID-19 among children and adolescents. Methods: Electronic search engines were used to identify studies till March 2021 that reported symptoms of psychological origin in children and adolescents. Information was extracted using a predefined template, and qualitative analysis was conducted using STROBE. Results: One hundred and two relevant papers were identified. Most of the studies were conducted online or telephonically. The study designs were primarily single group cross-sectional, though a few prospective/retrospective designs were also identified. Studies assessing emotional distress showed variable levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the study population, with greater severity of anxiety symptoms among females and older adolescents. Reduced physical activity; delayed sleep time; increased sleep duration, screen time, internet use, and sedentary habits, poor quality of life were other notable findings, often correlating with anxiety/depression. Efforts to address bias, discussion on generalizability of their results, and sample size calculation were not reported in most studies. Conclusion: Psychological impact on children/adolescents is significant, either due to the fear of the illness or social isolation related to COVID-19. One may focus on improving sleep habits and physical activity and regulating internet use for maintaining psychological well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:09:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b5fdb866852450cb4df5f4635f7e8fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0253-7176 0975-1564 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T02:09:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b5fdb866852450cb4df5f4635f7e8fe2022-12-21T20:40:50ZengSAGE PublishingIndian Journal of Psychological Medicine0253-71760975-15642021-07-014310.1177/02537176211021789Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic ReviewNishtha Chawla0Ashlyn Tom1Mahadev Singh Sen2Rajesh Sagar3 Dept. of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India.Background and aims: The outbreak of COVID-19 led to a significant psychological impact on individuals, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups. This study aimed to synthesize literature on the psychological impact of COVID-19 among children and adolescents. Methods: Electronic search engines were used to identify studies till March 2021 that reported symptoms of psychological origin in children and adolescents. Information was extracted using a predefined template, and qualitative analysis was conducted using STROBE. Results: One hundred and two relevant papers were identified. Most of the studies were conducted online or telephonically. The study designs were primarily single group cross-sectional, though a few prospective/retrospective designs were also identified. Studies assessing emotional distress showed variable levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the study population, with greater severity of anxiety symptoms among females and older adolescents. Reduced physical activity; delayed sleep time; increased sleep duration, screen time, internet use, and sedentary habits, poor quality of life were other notable findings, often correlating with anxiety/depression. Efforts to address bias, discussion on generalizability of their results, and sample size calculation were not reported in most studies. Conclusion: Psychological impact on children/adolescents is significant, either due to the fear of the illness or social isolation related to COVID-19. One may focus on improving sleep habits and physical activity and regulating internet use for maintaining psychological well-being.https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176211021789 |
| spellingShingle | Nishtha Chawla Ashlyn Tom Mahadev Singh Sen Rajesh Sagar Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| title | Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | psychological impact of covid 19 on children and adolescents a systematic review |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176211021789 |
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