Psychiatric symptoms in children with COVID-19, mothers` psychological resilience and related factors: pandemic hospital inpatient experiences

Background. Information on psychological problems and affecting factors in children hospitalized with the suspicion or diagnosis of COVID-19 is limited. We aimed to screen the psychiatric symptoms of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ankara City Children`s Hospital and evaluate the careg...

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Main Authors: Esra Çöp, Elif Akçay, Gülser Şenses Dinç, Zeynep Göker, Tuğçe Önal, Belgin Gülhan, Aslınur Parlakay, Özden Şükran Üneri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hacettepe University Institute of Child Health 2022-06-01
Series:The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
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Online Access:https://turkjpediatr.org/article/view/177
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Summary:Background. Information on psychological problems and affecting factors in children hospitalized with the suspicion or diagnosis of COVID-19 is limited. We aimed to screen the psychiatric symptoms of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ankara City Children`s Hospital and evaluate the caregivers` depression, anxiety, stress, and resilience levels during hospitalization. Methods. Among the children and adolescents hospitalized in Ankara City Children`s Hospital between 1 May 2020 and 31 May 2020 due to the diagnosis of COVID-19, those who agreed to participate in the study were included. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS- 21) scale, and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were used to determine the symptoms. Results. The mean age of study group (n = 49) was 8.7 ± 5.0 years, 59.2% (n = 29) were girls. The mean children`s SDQ-externalizing problems scores were higher in the COVID-19 positive mothers group than the COVID-19 negative mothers` group. The SDQ-total score was positively and strongly correlated with the DASS total score, DASS-depression score, and DASS-anxiety score. BRS scale scores were negatively correlated with the SDQtotal, externalizing, and DASS-21scale scores. Conclusions. COVID-19 positivity in mothers could be associated with externalizing problems in children. The high resilience of caregivers of inpatients seems to be related to less psychopathology in children. During hospitalization, caregivers` psychological evaluation and psychosocial support may be important for preventive child mental health.
ISSN:0041-4301
2791-6421