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Orban E, Li LY, Gilbert M, Napp AK, Kaman A, Topf S, Boecker M, Devine J, Reiß F, Wendel F, Jung-Sievers C, Ernst VS, Franze M, Möhler E, Breitinger E, Bender S, Ravens-Sieberer U. Mental health and quality of life in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of longitudinal studies. Front Public Health 2024; 11:1275917. [PMID: 38259801 PMCID: PMC10800626 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1275917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of children and families, i.e., due to measures like social distancing and remote schooling. While previous research has shown negative effects on mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), most studies have focused on pre-post comparisons in the early pandemic stages. This systematic review aims to examine longitudinal studies to understand the long-term impacts of the pandemic on children and adolescents. Methods This systematic review adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and was preregistered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (Record ID: CRD42022336930). We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and the WHO-COVID-19 database and included studies published up to August 30, 2022. Based on pre-defined eligibility criteria, longitudinal and prospective studies that assessed the mental health or quality of life of children or adolescents (0-19 years) in the general population over a longer time span (at two or more measurement points) during the COVID-19 pandemic were included in the review. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using an adapted version of the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) checklist. Narrative data synthesis was used to summarize the findings. Results A total of 5,099 results were obtained from literature searches, with 4,935 excluded during title/abstract screening. After reviewing 163 full-text articles, 24 publications were included in the review. Sample sizes ranged between n = 86 and n = 34,038. The length of the investigated time periods and the number of assessment points, as well as outcomes, varied. The majority of studies were of moderate methodological quality. Mental health outcomes were more frequently studied compared to measures of HRQoL. The findings from these studies mostly suggest that children and adolescents experienced heightened mental health problems, specifically internalizing symptoms like anxiety and depression. Further, there was a decline in their overall HRQoL over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic that did not necessarily subside when lockdowns ended. Conclusion It is crucial to continue monitoring the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents following the pandemic to identify groups at risks and plan interventions. This should ideally be conducted by large systematic studies, using validated instruments, and encompassing representative samples to obtain reliable and comprehensive insights with the aim of improving youth mental health care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Orban
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lydia Yao Li
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martha Gilbert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Napp
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anne Kaman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Topf
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maren Boecker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Janine Devine
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Reiß
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Flora Wendel
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Caroline Jung-Sievers
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Vanessa Sophie Ernst
- Institute for Community Medicine, Epidemiology of Health Care and Community Health, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Marco Franze
- Institute for Community Medicine, Epidemiology of Health Care and Community Health, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Eva Möhler
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Eva Breitinger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stephan Bender
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Cataldo I, Novotny D, Carollo A, Esposito G. Mental Health in the Post-Lockdown Scenario: A Scientometric Investigation of the Main Thematic Trends of Research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6310. [PMID: 37444157 PMCID: PMC10341738 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20136310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, researchers and clinicians have published scientific articles on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its medical, organizational, financial, and psychological implications. However, many effects have been observed in the post-lockdown scenario. In this study, we adopted a scientometric-bibliometric approach to drawing the state of the art regarding the emotional and psychological effects of the pandemic after the lockdown. In Scopus, we found 791 papers that were subsequently analyzed using CiteSpace. The document co-citation analysis (DCA) computation generated a network of eight major clusters, each representing a central area of investigation. Specifically, one major cluster-cluster no. 1-focuses on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and individuals' ability to develop adaptive coping mechanisms and resilience. The results allow us to frame the fields covered by researchers more precisely and the areas that still need more investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Cataldo
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
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Ravens-Sieberer U, Devine J, Napp AK, Kaman A, Saftig L, Gilbert M, Reiß F, Löffler C, Simon AM, Hurrelmann K, Walper S, Schlack R, Hölling H, Wieler LH, Erhart M. Three years into the pandemic: results of the longitudinal German COPSY study on youth mental health and health-related quality of life. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1129073. [PMID: 37397777 PMCID: PMC10307958 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1129073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose For the past three years, the German longitudinal COPSY (COVID-19 and PSYchological Health) study has monitored changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the mental health of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A nationwide, population-based survey was conducted in May-June 2020 (W1), December 2020-January 2021 (W2), September-October 2021 (W3), February 2022 (W4), and September-October 2022 (W5). In total, n = 2,471 children and adolescents aged 7-17 years (n = 1,673 aged 11-17 years with self-reports) were assessed using internationally established and validated measures of HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), mental health problems (SDQ), anxiety (SCARED), depressive symptoms (CES-DC, PHQ-2), psychosomatic complaints (HBSC-SCL), and fear about the future (DFS-K). Findings were compared to prepandemic population-based data. Results While the prevalence of low HRQoL increased from 15% prepandemic to 48% at W2, it improved to 27% at W5. Similarly, overall mental health problems rose from 18% prepandemic to W1 through W2 (30-31%), and since then slowly declined (W3: 27%, W4: 29%, W5: 23%). Anxiety doubled from 15% prepandemic to 30% in W2 and declined to 25% (W5) since then. Depressive symptoms increased from 15%/10% (CES-DC/PHQ-2) prepandemic to 24%/15% in W2, and slowly decreased to 14%/9% in W5. Psychosomatic complaints are across all waves still on the rise. 32-44% of the youth expressed fears related to other current crises. Conclusion Mental health of the youth improved in year 3 of the pandemic, but is still lower than before the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janine Devine
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Napp
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anne Kaman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lynn Saftig
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martha Gilbert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Reiß
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Constanze Löffler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Robert Schlack
- Department for Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heike Hölling
- Department for Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lothar Heinz Wieler
- Department for Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Research Cluster Digital Global Public Health, Hasso-Plattner-Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Michael Erhart
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Public Health, Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Apollon University of Applied Sciences, Bremen, Germany
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