Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
BMJ Open. 2022 Mar 2;12(3):e057248. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057248.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health (MH) of children, adolescents and parents. Whereas youth with MH disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) may be at higher risk for exacerbations in emotional and behavioural distress, children and adolescents without pre-existing MH disorders or NDD may also experience MH deterioration due to increases in stress, changes in health behaviours, loss of activities/school closures or loss of resources. Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 emergency measures (EMs) on children's MH over the course of the pandemic.
Longitudinal study of four well-established, pre-existing cohorts in Ontario (two recruited in clinical settings, two recruited in community settings). Primary outcomes include the impact of EMs on six MH domains: depression, anxiety, irritability, inattention, hyperactivity and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Risk and protective factors related to youth MH profiles and trajectories will be identified. In addition, the effects of school mitigation strategies, changes in MH services and family factors (ie, parental MH, economic deprivation and family functioning) on children's MH will be examined. Data will be collected via repeated online survey measures selected to ensure reliability and validity for the proposed populations and distributed through the pandemic periods.
The study was approved by institutional research ethics boards at participating research sites. Results will be disseminated through a robust knowledge translation partnership with key knowledge users. Materials to inform public awareness will be co-developed with educators, public health, and MH and health service providers. Connections with professional associations and MH advocacy groups will be leveraged to support youth MH policy in relation to EMs. Findings will further be shared through conference presentations, peer-reviewed journals and open-access publications.
COVID-19 大流行对儿童、青少年和家长的心理健康（MH）产生了影响。虽然患有 MH 障碍和神经发育障碍（NDD）的青年可能面临情绪和行为困扰恶化的更高风险，但由于压力增加、健康行为改变、活动/学校关闭或资源丧失，没有先前 MH 障碍或 NDD 的儿童和青少年也可能出现 MH 恶化。关于 COVID-19 紧急措施（EMs）对大流行期间儿童 MH 的影响，知之甚少。
对安大略省的四个既定、先前存在的队列进行纵向研究（两个在临床环境中招募，两个在社区环境中招募）。主要结果包括 EMs 对六个 MH 领域的影响：抑郁、焦虑、易怒、注意力不集中、多动和强迫行为。将确定与青年 MH 特征和轨迹相关的风险和保护因素。此外，还将研究学校缓解策略、MH 服务变化和家庭因素（即父母 MH、经济贫困和家庭功能）对儿童 MH 的影响。数据将通过反复进行的在线调查措施收集，这些措施是为拟议人群的可靠性和有效性选择的，并在大流行期间分发。
该研究得到了参与研究地点的机构研究伦理委员会的批准。研究结果将通过与主要知识用户建立强大的知识转化伙伴关系进行传播。将与教育工作者、公共卫生以及 MH 和卫生服务提供者共同制定告知公众意识的材料。将利用与专业协会和 MH 倡导团体的联系，支持与 EMs 相关的青年 MH 政策。研究结果还将通过会议演讲、同行评议期刊和开放获取出版物进一步分享。
