Journal
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
Volume 304, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114146
Keywords
COVID-19; Child; Mental health; Fear; Physical distancing
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Mental Health [MH119241]
- Kids Kicking Cancer
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Children from historically disadvantaged groups may be more susceptible to mental health consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of illness increased over time for all children, independent of race and socioeconomic status. Lower SES children reported more fears about social distancing during the pandemic compared to higher SES children.
Children from historically disadvantaged groups (racial minorities, lower socioeconomic status [SES]) may be particularly susceptible to mental health consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the impact of the pandemic, including mental health symptoms and COVID-19-related fears and behaviors, in a sample of majority Black American (72%) children (n=64, ages 7-10, 24 female) from an urban area with high infection rates. Children completed a mental health screening form prior to the pandemic (October 2019) and at two time points during the pandemic (May, August 2020). We examined the impact of SES on mental health changes over time, COVID-19 fears and behaviors, and perceived impact of the pandemic. We also tested whether baseline mental health predicted the impact of COVID-19. Children's fears of illness increased over time, and these effects were independent of race and SES. However, lower SES children reported more fears about social distancing during the pandemic as compared to higher SES children. Lower SES children also reported more internalizing symptoms at baseline, which decreased in this group following stay-at-home orders. Results highlight the need to reduce the risk of persistent fear and mitigate the mental health consequences among vulnerable pediatric populations during and after the pandemic.
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