{"title":"Beyond the Mask: Decoding Children’s Mental Health Patterns Amidst COVID-19 and the Role of Parenting","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s10566-024-09793-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <span> <h3>Background</h3> <p>The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on children and families worldwide. Children’s mental health has been at the forefront of pandemic research, with several observational studies documenting its decline. Limited person-centred research exists, however, investigating the diverse mental health responses of vulnerable children during COVID-19.</p> </span> <span> <h3>Objective</h3> <p>The purpose of this study is to examine the profiles of 289 low-income children’s mental health transitions from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19.</p> </span> <span> <h3>Methods</h3> <p>Mothers’ reports of children’s mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire from before (<span> <span>\\(\\overline{X }\\)</span> </span>= 2.73 years, <em>SD</em> = 0.23) and during (<span> <span>\\(\\overline{X }\\)</span> </span>= 5.31 years, <em>SD</em> = 0.59) COVID-19 were used.</p> </span> <span> <h3>Results</h3> <p>Three comparable profile solutions were identified pre- and early during the pandemic. Latent transition analysis revealed diverse patterns of children’s mental health trajectory from prior to during COVID-19. Based on transition probabilities, the majority of children in the <em>Average Levels of Internalizing/Externalizing Problems</em> and <em>Externalizing Problems</em> profiles pre-pandemic showed stability in profile membership. Interestingly, most children in the high levels of <em>Internalizing/Externalizing Problems</em> profile pre-pandemic experienced some improvement in their mental health. Pre-pandemic maternal mental health and parenting had significant associations with children’s profile membership at both time points.</p> </span> <span> <h3>Conclusions</h3> <p>Our findings reveal the heterogeneity in children's mental health responses in times of large-scale crises. They also identify how pre-existing maternal risk factors may underlie the diverse experiences of children who underwent declining, stable, or improving mental health profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> </span>","PeriodicalId":47479,"journal":{"name":"Child & Youth Care Forum","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child & Youth Care Forum","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-024-09793-w","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on children and families worldwide. Children’s mental health has been at the forefront of pandemic research, with several observational studies documenting its decline. Limited person-centred research exists, however, investigating the diverse mental health responses of vulnerable children during COVID-19.
Objective
The purpose of this study is to examine the profiles of 289 low-income children’s mental health transitions from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19.
Methods
Mothers’ reports of children’s mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire from before (\(\overline{X }\)= 2.73 years, SD = 0.23) and during (\(\overline{X }\)= 5.31 years, SD = 0.59) COVID-19 were used.
Results
Three comparable profile solutions were identified pre- and early during the pandemic. Latent transition analysis revealed diverse patterns of children’s mental health trajectory from prior to during COVID-19. Based on transition probabilities, the majority of children in the Average Levels of Internalizing/Externalizing Problems and Externalizing Problems profiles pre-pandemic showed stability in profile membership. Interestingly, most children in the high levels of Internalizing/Externalizing Problems profile pre-pandemic experienced some improvement in their mental health. Pre-pandemic maternal mental health and parenting had significant associations with children’s profile membership at both time points.
Conclusions
Our findings reveal the heterogeneity in children's mental health responses in times of large-scale crises. They also identify how pre-existing maternal risk factors may underlie the diverse experiences of children who underwent declining, stable, or improving mental health profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
期刊介绍：
Child & Youth Care Forum is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary publication that welcomes submissions – original empirical research papers and theoretical reviews as well as invited commentaries – on children, youth, and families. Contributions to Child & Youth Care Forum are submitted by researchers, practitioners, and clinicians across the interrelated disciplines of child psychology, early childhood, education, medical anthropology, pediatrics, pediatric psychology, psychiatry, public policy, school/educational psychology, social work, and sociology as well as government agencies and corporate and nonprofit organizations that seek to advance current knowledge and practice. Child & Youth Care Forum publishes scientifically rigorous, empirical papers and theoretical reviews that have implications for child and adolescent mental health, psychosocial development, assessment, interventions, and services broadly defined. For example, papers may address issues of child and adolescent typical and/or atypical development through effective youth care assessment and intervention practices. In addition, papers may address strategies for helping youth overcome difficulties (e.g., mental health problems) or overcome adversity (e.g., traumatic stress, community violence) as well as all children actualize their potential (e.g., positive psychology goals). Assessment papers that advance knowledge as well as methodological papers with implications for child and youth research and care are also encouraged.
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