Perceived Psychological Impact on Children and Parents of Experiencing COVID-19 Infection in One or More Family Members

• Main Authors: Paola Costenaro (Author), Costanza Di Chiara (Author), Valentina Boscolo (Author), Alessia Barbieri (Author), Alice Tomasello (Author), Anna Cantarutti (Author), Sandra Cozzani (Author), Cecilia Liberati (Author), Serenella Oletto (Author), Carlo Giaquinto (Author), Daniele Donà (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/children9091370; 2227-9067
• Keywords: COVID-19; children; adolescents; family cluster; SARS-CoV-2; resilience; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Children, Vol 9, Iss 9, p 1370 (2022)

SARS-CoV-2 infection may impair behavior and mental health; we explored the psychological impact on parents and children who experienced COVID-19 within their families. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted on families attending the COVID-19 Follow-up Clinic at the Department for Women's and Children's Health, Padua (Italy). From April 2020 to August 2021, 75 surveys were collected from 66 families (97 parents and 129 children); almost 70% of participants had COVID-19, mostly asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic, and the median time from infection to survey compilation was 164.7 days (SD 56). Most parents (>87%) reported positive relationships with family members either before, during, or after COVID-19. More than one-third of children and adolescents were unable to adapt to isolation. Among 31 pre-school children with a median age of 3 (SD 1.7), a change of one or more functions was reported for 74.2% of cases irrespective of COVID-19 status, particularly a change in circadian rhythm (25%), in relationship with parents (42.8%), and poor emotional control (36%). Among 74 children with a median age of 10.9 years (SD 2.7), 8.1% had a score indicating a disease; however, significant impairment in attention was reported for 16.7%, along with anxiety/depression and problems with conduct in 5.6% and 6.5% of cases, respectively.