Psychosocial Functionality in Adolescents with Inborn Errors of Immunity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the psychosocial functioning of adolescents with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). Material and Methods: Thirty-six patients with IEI (18 mild, 18 severe) and 18 healthy controls aged between 10 and 17 were included in this study. Adolescents and their caregivers completed the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) to measure symptoms of anxiety and depression and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess prosocial behaviors and emotional/behavioral problems. Additionally, the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S) was answered by adolescents to assess the level of coronavirus phobia. Results: According to SDQ, emotional scores of the adolescents in the control group are higher than the mild/severe patient group. Emotional scores of the severe patient group are higher than the mild group. The RCADS parent- and adolescent-reported depression scores and parent-reported social phobia scores of the control group were significantly higher than the mild group.There were no statistically significant differences between the groups according to COVID-19 Phobia Scale. Conclusion: The healthy adolescents had higher psychiatric symptom scores, especially than the adolescents with mild IEI. We suggest that being exposed to health-related challenges even before the pandemics in adolescents with IEI helped them develop psychological resilience. Longitudinal and larger studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of the pandemic on the mental health of this vulnerable adolescent population.