Jin Qiaoyan, Ma Wenxian, Zhang Yang, Wang Huiyuan, Hao Juanjuan, Geng Yan, Zhong Bo, Li Jing, Hou Wei, Lu Shemin
Department of Pediatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 8;13:933207. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933207. eCollection 2022.
A large body of evidence has revealed that the sudden outbreak of public health emergencies induces dramatic effects on the mental health of the general public. We aimed to investigate the level of anxiety sensitivity and its risk factors in children and adolescents from northwest China during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in early 2020.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted through the Wenjuanxing platform using a convenience sampling method between 18 and 26 February 2020. The self-designed questionnaire contained sociodemographic characteristics, factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) scale. The data from 1,091 valid questionnaires from students aged 9-17 years were analyzed using ANOVA, multiple linear regression, and binary logistic regression.
The average CASI scores were 11.47 ± 6.631, and 642 students (58.9%) had prominent anxiety sensitivity. Gender, education level, family members participating in anti-COVID-19 work, getting ill and needing medical help during the lockdown, feeling afraid or having heart palpitations on hearing things associated with COVID-19, believing that COVID-19 would have adverse impacts on themselves or their family in the future, and fear of infection were identified as significant factors for elevated levels of anxiety sensitivity ( < 0.05). We established a multiple linear regression model for the anxiety sensitivity score. Risk factors found for anxiety sensitivity in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown included studying in secondary or high school, becoming ill during the pandemic, feeling afraid or experiencing rapid heartbeat or palpitations on hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking that COVID-19 would have an adverse impact on themselves or their family in the future, and fear of infection.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and home quarantine, scores measuring the prevalence of anxiety sensitivity in children and adolescents from northwest China were elevated. We should develop measures that especially target possible risk factors to intervene against and prevent anxiety sensitivity in children and adolescents in both the current and future pandemics.
大量证据表明，突发公共卫生事件会对普通公众的心理健康产生巨大影响。我们旨在调查2020年初新冠疫情封锁期间中国西北地区儿童和青少年的焦虑敏感性水平及其风险因素。
2020年2月18日至26日，通过问卷星平台采用便利抽样法进行横断面调查。自行设计的问卷包括社会人口学特征、与新冠疫情相关的因素以及儿童焦虑敏感性指数（CASI）量表。对1091份9至17岁学生的有效问卷数据进行方差分析、多元线性回归和二元逻辑回归分析。
CASI平均得分为11.47±6.631，642名学生（58.9%）有明显的焦虑敏感性。性别、教育程度、家庭成员参与抗疫工作、封锁期间生病需要医疗帮助、听到与新冠疫情相关的事情时感到害怕或心悸、认为新冠疫情未来会对自己或家人产生不利影响以及害怕感染被确定为焦虑敏感性水平升高的显著因素（<0.05）。我们建立了焦虑敏感性得分的多元线性回归模型。在新冠疫情封锁期间，儿童和青少年焦虑敏感性的风险因素包括就读于初中或高中、疫情期间生病、听到新冠疫情时感到害怕或心跳加速或心悸、认为新冠疫情未来会对自己或家人产生不利影响以及害怕感染。
在新冠疫情和居家隔离期间，中国西北地区儿童和青少年焦虑敏感性患病率的测量得分有所升高。我们应制定特别针对可能风险因素的措施，以干预和预防当前及未来疫情中儿童和青少年的焦虑敏感性。
