Understanding the Impact of Home Confinement on Children and Young People with ADHD and ASD During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hall, Charlotte L.; Partlett, Christopher; Valentine, Althea Z.; Pearcey, Samantha; Sayal, Kapil

Abstract

To understand whether the mental health of children and young people (CYP) with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were differentially affected by COVID-19. We analysed data (n = 6507) from the Co-Space study, a UK web-based longitudinal survey. CYP with ADHD (n = 160;2.5%), ASD (n = 465;7%), and ADHD + ASD (n = 155;2.4%) were compared with a reference group (n = 5727;88%) using parent-completed questionnaires [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) & Pandemic Anxiety Scale (PAS)]. Baseline to 1-month follow-up differences were compared using linear regression models. CYP with ADHD and/or ASD had higher scores at baseline than other CYP. At follow-up, CYP with ASD showed small but significant improvements in symptoms (SDQ), compared with the reference group. CYP with ASD experienced a worsening of disease anxiety (PAS) and CYP with ADHD a deterioration in functional impairment. These findings indicate a mixed pattern of pandemic-related impact for CYP with ADHD and/or ASD.

Citation

Hall, C. L., Partlett, C., Valentine, A. Z., Pearcey, S., & Sayal, K. (2023). Understanding the Impact of Home Confinement on Children and Young People with ADHD and ASD During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 55(5), 1279-1293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01490-w

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 22, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Journal: Child Psychiatry & Human Development
• Print ISSN: 0009-398X
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-3327
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1279-1293
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01490-w
• Keywords: Psychiatry and Mental health; Developmental and Educational Psychology; Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/15936210
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-022-01490-w
• Additional Information: Accepted: 22 December 2022; First Online: 12 January 2023; : ; : The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.; : Ethical approval was received from University of Oxford Research Ethics Committee approval (R69060/RE020) received 27/03/2020. The study has therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.; : Participants gave informed consent for all surveys immediately before completing the baseline questionnaire. This included consent for anonymised data to be used in publications.