The COVID-19 pandemic caused many disruptions in the daily lives of children and families around the world, which has been associated with various mental health challenges among youth. However, a new study from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health presents a more nuanced picture, suggesting that mental health improved for certain groups of children and adolescents. Research led by Courtney K.
Blackwell, Ph.D. and Kaja LeWinn, ScD, found that the pandemic had minimal impact on child mental health.
The impact included minor decreases in externalizing problems, anxiety, and depression. However, average outcomes might not capture the full picture. This work is published in JAMA Network Open .
"Our research shows that the pandemic's impact on children varied depending on their individual characteristics, and average changes in the youth population do not fully capture these differences," said first author Dr. Blackwell of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The study found that children who had clinically significant mental health problems before the pandemic experienced notable improvements in their mental health, especially for ADHD symptoms and externalizing problems such as aggression and rule-breaking.
Other factors such as income, race, age, and gender had small influences on changes in youth mental health, with some groups experiencing declines and others experiencing increases in sympto.