The impact of COVID-19 on psychophysiology and quality of life among children during omicron surge in Taiwan.

Background: Taiwan experienced an outbreak of the COVID-19 omicron variant in March 2022. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on the psychophysiology and quality of life of children.

Methods: We enrolled children under 18 from June to November 2023, dividing them into three groups based on their COVID-19 history: simple COVID, long COVID, and non-COVID. We collected demographic data and symptoms and conducted various surveys including the Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short-Form, Family APGAR, social and school behaviors, and family cohesion.

Results: Of the 797 subjects, 573 (71.9 %) were confirmed cases, and 224 (28.1 %) were not infected. Fourteen percent (84/573) reported symptoms lasting over three months and were classified into the long COVID group. The long COVID group had significantly more physical and psychological symptoms than the non-COVID group (all p < 0.05). Compared to the simple COVID and non-COVID groups, the long COVID group showed significantly more fatigue, higher severe mMRC grades, greater depression tendencies, higher negative affect scores, and lower well-being (all p < 0.001). Additionally, depressive children in the COVID group experienced more stress about returning to school (p = 0.01), more family dysfunction (p = 0.01), less family support (p = 0.008), and fewer problem-solving abilities in their families (p = 0.008).

Conclusion: The long COVID group had more severe physical and psychological symptoms, family dysfunction, and school-related stress, indicating a need for further assistance.