Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2023): insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands.
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Abstract
Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected child and adolescent mental health and at the end of the pandemic (April 2022) child mental health had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. We investigated whether this observed increase in mental health problems has continued, halted, or reversed after the end of the pandemic in children from the general population and in children in psychiatric care. Methods We collected parent-reported and child-reported data at two additional post-pandemic time points (November/December 2022 and March/April 2023) in children (8-18 years) from two general population samples (N=818-1056 per measurement) and one clinical sample receiving psychiatric care (N=320-370) and compared these with data from before the pandemic. We collected parent-reported data on internalizing and externalizing problems with the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) and self-reported data on Anxiety, Depressive symptoms, Sleep-related impairments, Anger, Global health, and Peer relations with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). Results In the general population, parents reported no changes in externalizing problems but did report higher internalizing problems post-pandemic than pre-pandemic. Children also reported increased mental health problems post-pandemic, especially in anxiety and depression, to a lesser extent in sleep-related impairment and global health, and least in anger. In the clinical sample, parents reported higher internalizing, but not externalizing problems post-pandemic compared to the start of the pandemic. Children reported greatest increases in problems in anxiety, depression, and global health, to a lesser extent on sleep-related impairment, and least on anger. Conclusions Child mental health problems in the general population are substantially higher post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic measurements. In children in psychiatric care mental health problems have increased during the pandemic and are substantially higher post-pandemic than at the start of the pandemic. Longitudinal and comparative studies are needed to assess what the most important drivers of these changes are.
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- Authors
- van Oers, H. A., Alrouh, H., Tieskens, J. M., Luijten, M. A. J., de Groot, R., Broek, E., van der Doelen, D., Klip, H., De Meyer, R., van der Mheen, M., Ruisch, I. H., van den Berg, G., Bruining, H., Buitelaar, J., van der Rijken, R., Hoekstra, P. J., Kleinjan, M., Lindauer, R., Oostrom, K. J., Staal, W., Vermeiren, R., Cornet, R., Haverman, L., Popma, A., Bartels, M., Polderman, T. J. C., & Zijlmans, J.
- Affiliations
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam Emma Children's Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Amsterdam University Medical Center University of Amsterdam Department of Medical Informatics Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Karakter (NL)
- Praktikon Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Mental Health Amsterdam The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- Netherlands Youth Institute Utrecht The Netherlands
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL)
- Amsterdam Public Health Methodology Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
- ORCID
- van Oers, Hedy A.
- Alrouh, Hekmat
- Tieskens, Jacintha M.
- Luijten, Michiel A. J.
- Broek, Emma
- Klip, Helen
- Ruisch, I. Hyun
- Bruining, Hilgo
- Buitelaar, Jan
- Hoekstra, Pieter J.
- Kleinjan, Marloes
- Lindauer, Ramón
- Oostrom, Kim J.
- Staal, Wouter
- Vermeiren, Robert
- Haverman, Lotte
- Popma, Arne
- Bartels, Meike
- Polderman, Tinca J. C.
- Zijlmans, Josjan
- Venue
- JCPP Advances
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2023-12-14
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- e12213-e12213
- ISSN
- 2692-9384 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11472795
- OpenAlex
- W4389726199
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 5.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- JCPP Advances (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- medRxiv (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- European Research Council ((WELL BEING 771057 PI Bartels))
- ZonMw
- Zorginstituut Nederland
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, child and adolescent mental health, post-pandemic mental health, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, anxiety, depression, sleep-related impairment, peer relationships, psychiatric nursing, parent-reported outcomes, child-reported outcomes, PROMIS
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