Context: With the global spread of COVID-19, many families have experienced the disease's physical or psychological effects, which have had a profound impact on children. Given that most studies have assessed the effects of COVID-19 on physical health, this study reviews the psychological and psychosomatic aspects of the disease and possible solutions to improve the condition of children and adolescents regardless of physical problems and complications of COVID-19
Evidence Acquisition: The data employed in our narrative review were searched for English documents published between 2019 and 2022 in databases EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Keywords included Mental health, Grief, Anxiety, depression, Children, and COVID-19. After screening the abstracts, the full text of 70 related studies was reviewed, and 52 most related surveys were finally selected.
Results: Among the most important issues are the irreparable effects of losing a parent or the death of a loved one due to this disease (loss and grief) and a wide range of other disorders such as feeling fear, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the destructive effects of lengthy school closures and turning to social media without parental supervision and adequate infrastructure for children are not negligible.
Conclusion: Children react to stress differently, such as overdependence, anxiety, withdrawal, anger, bedwetting, etc. Long-term quarantine and its consequences have increased anxiety and depression, sleep disorders, and nutritional problems in children and adolescents. Therefore, children need a safe and supportive environment, guidance, and help to express their fear and sadness.
Type of Study:
Narrative Review |
Subject:
Pediatrics Received: 2022/12/14 | Accepted: 2023/01/7