Journal Article

The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study on the Emotional-Behavioral Sequelae for Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Their Families

Raffagnato, Alessia, Iannattone, Sara, Miscioscia, Marina, Mascoli, Cataldo, Tascini, Benedetta, Broggio, Alessia, Zanato, Silvia, Manganiello, Alexa, Traverso, Annalisa, Gatta, Michela, Venchiarutti, Martina

2021

Overview

This study aimed to investigate the immediate and short-term impact of the pandemic on the psychological well-being of Italian children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders and their families. Overall, 56 patients aged 6–18 (M = 13.4 years, SD = 2.77) and their parents were evaluated during the COVID-19 lockdown (T0) and after 4 months (T1). An ad hoc data sheet, Youth Self-Report 11–18 (YSR), Child Behavior Checklist 6–18 (CBCL), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were administered. Patients, mainly suffering from internalizing disorders, overall demonstrated a good adaptation to the pandemic context. Moreover, patients with behavioral disorders showed a greater psychological discomfort at both T0 and T1 compared to patients with internalizing disorders. Over time, patients presented an improvement on the emotional side, as proven by a significant decrease in internalizing and post-traumatic stress problems. Finally, no significant differences were found in the emotional-behavioral profile of patients according to the means of conducting neuropsychiatric interventions during the lockdown (i.e., in person/remotely/interrupted), thus allowing us to exclude important negative effects caused by the transition to remote therapy. Concerning parents, an inverse relationship emerged between the DASS-21 scores and the level of resilience, which therefore represents a protective factor against psychological maladjustment. Over time, an improvement in the psychological well-being of parents was observed, as shown by a significant decrease in mothers’ anxiety and fathers’ stress.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Anxiety disorders / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Disease transmission / Epidemics / Families & family life / Insomnia / Intervention / Longitudinal studies / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health care / Pandemics / Parents & parenting / Population / Post traumatic stress disorder / Psychopathology / Quarantine / Resilience (Psychology) / Social isolation / Teaching / Teenagers / Well being