Symposia
ADHD - Child
Maria Rogers, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Tessa Ritchie, M.A.
Graduate student
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 marked the beginning of a series of restrictions for 5.7 million school-aged children in Canada. The subsequent transition to virtual schooling, limitations in social interactions, and the cancellation of recreational activities, coupled with increased familial stress, prompted many to raise alarms about the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health. The current study used the Life Course Framework, which emphasizes the intertwined nature of individual and contextual factors and the long-term impacts on child development and wellbeing (Benner & Mistry, 2020). Questionnaires from parents of 655 school-aged children and youth with and without Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were collected from across Canada.
Preliminary analyses revealed that increased COVID restrictions across Canada were related to higher levels of depression and anxiety in children. Higher family income and higher parental education were associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression in youth. Virtual schooling was significantly related to children's mental health symptoms in children ADHD, but not for children without ADHD. Further analyses will include examining the cumulative impact of the risk factors on children's mental health.
This research has the potential to inform public health and education officials on the effects of the pandemic and the subsequent school and societal restrictions on children's mental health and wellbeing. Building on this understanding can help identify and support children and adolescents impacted by the pandemic.