Affiliation:
1. NECMETTİN ERBAKAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ, MERAM TIP FAKÜLTESİ, MERAM TIP PR.
Abstract
Aim:COVID-19 pandemic has had negative effects on the lives of many children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. This research aims to investigate the effects on the mental status and quality of life of children with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materyial method: This study was conducted at the child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital, between April and May 2020. The research group consisted of 113 children and adolescents with ADHD, and the control group consisted of 45 children and adolescents. The depression and anxiety symptoms of the children were assessed using the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), respectively. Child-reported and parent-reported Pediatric Quality of Life Inventories (PedsQL) were used to evaluate the health-related quality of life of the children.
Result: Depressive symptoms and anxiety levels were found to be statistically higher in the ADHD group. According to PedsQL-P scale, psychosocial and scale total scores were statistically significantly lower. According to the regression analysis, the SCARED scores predicted negative physical, psychosocial, and total scores of the PEDsQL-C scale. The CDI scores, however, predicted negative physical, psychosocial, and total scores of the PEDsQL-P scale.
Conclusion: This study revealed that depressive symptoms and anxiety levels were higher in the ADHD group, and their psychosocial and total quality of life was lower in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study findings suggest that further studies are needed to better understand the psychological conditions and difficulties that children with ADHD experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher
Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care