The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in Danish school children in 5th to 7th grade

AIM

We wanted to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in Danish school children in 5th to 7th grade (11 to 15 years), and whether the impact differed across age and sex.

METHODS

We included 793 and 391 school children from winter 2020 and winter 2021, respectively. Mental health was measured using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Data were analyzed by sex using linear regression models adjusting for grade (age), cohabitation, geographical region, employment status of parents, and schools as clusters.

RESULTS

Girls in 5th grade and boys in 6th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant lower well-being (SWEMWBS) compared with before Covid-19. Girls in 5th and 6th grade during Covid-19 had non-statistically significant lower scores on all subscales of SDQ compared with girls before Covid-19. Girls in 7th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant lower total difficulty score (SDQ) and fewer conduct problems (SDQ) compared with girls before Covid-19. Boys in 5th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant fewer conduct problems (SDQ) compared with boys before Covid-19.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic impacted Danish school children differently across sex and grade (age). During Covid-19, mental health tended to be better among the oldest girls and worse among the youngest girls compared with girls before Covid-19. Boys in 6th grade had poorer mental well-being, and boys in 5th grade had fewer conduct problems during Covid-19 compared with before Covid-19.

Maternal concentrations of phthalates and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD-) related symptoms in children aged 2 to 4 years from Odense child cohort

BACKGROUND

Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals used in everyday consumer products. Several epidemiological studies have examined the association between prenatal phthalate concentration and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in offspring, but the findings have been inconclusive.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between maternal urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites during pregnancy and ADHD related symptoms in children at 2 to 4 years in a large prospective cohort.

METHODS

In the Odense Child Cohort from Denmark were women recruited in early pregnancy from 2010 to 2012. Phthalate concentrations were measured in urine samples collected in 3rd trimester and separated into low and high weight phthalates. Parents filled in the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5 to 5 years (CBCL/1½-5), including a 6-item ADHD symptom scale at children aged 2 to 4 years. Data were analysed by use of adjusted negative binomial regression.

RESULTS

A total of 658 mother-child pairs were included. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were generally low compared to previous cohorts. A doubling in maternal concentration of the low-weighted phthalate metabolite MCPP was significantly associated with lower ADHD symptoms score in children (IRR: 0.95 (95 % CI 0.91-0.98)), strongest in girls (IRR: 0.92 (0.87-0.98)). Sex differences were observed. High maternal phthalate metabolite concentrations were associated with lower ADHD symptom score in girls, significant trends across tertile of MCPP and MnBP (p = 0.018, p = 0.038, respectively). In boys, maternal concentrations of high-molecular-weight phthalates (MBzP, ∑DiNP and ∑DEHP) were associated with an almost significantly higher ADHD symptom score (IRR for a doubling in concentration: 1.04 (95 % CI: 0.99-1.10), IRR: 1.05 (95 % CI: 0.97-1.13), IRR: 1.04 (95 % CI: 0.99-1.10), respectively).

CONCLUSION

Maternal concentration of the low-weighted phthalate metabolite MCPP was significantly associated with a lower ADHD symptom score in children, strongest in girls. Maternal concentrations of high-molecular-weight phthalates were associated with non-significant increase in ADHD symptom score in boys.