Gu Xuan, Shan Xiao, Wang Lan, Gao Wen-Ying, Liu Xiao-Qin
Medical School of Nantong University, No. 19, Qi Xiu Street, Nantong 226007, China.
Nursing Department of Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, No. 20, Xi Si Street, Nantong 226006, China.
Res Dev Disabil. 2023 Dec;143:104632. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104632. Epub 2023 Nov 16.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, which caused difficulties and increased caregivers' burden.
The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychological problems among caregivers of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods and procedures We searched the PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases for relevant studies published from December 2019 to March 2023. Random effects models were used to calculate the pooled prevalence of psychological problems among caregivers. Subgroup analyses were used to detect potential heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of the included studies. Egger's and Begg's tests were used to examine publication bias. Outcomes and results Twenty studies involving 14,743 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The main psychological problems among caregivers were anxiety (36.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.6-53.7%), depression (41.1%, 95%CI 35.4-46.8%), and stress (58.9%, 95%CI 45.1-72.7%). There were differences in prevalence by study year, national economic level, continent, and sample size. Conclusions and implications Our study showed that caregivers of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders had a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the psychological problems of these caregivers should not be overlooked. We recommend that the government should provide caregivers with more medical and financial assistance. What this paper adds? The current study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on parents whose children have neurodevelopmental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the prevalence of psychological problems among caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders is particularly prevalent, which suggests that we should attach importance to the parenting pressure and mental health of this special group.
新冠疫情对患有神经发育障碍的儿童和青少年产生了影响，给他们带来了困难，并增加了照顾者的负担。
本研究的目的是评估患有神经发育障碍的儿童和青少年的照顾者中心理问题的患病率。
我们在PubMed、Embase和科学网数据库中搜索了2019年12月至2023年3月发表的相关研究。采用随机效应模型计算照顾者中心理问题的合并患病率。进行亚组分析以检测潜在的异质性，并进行敏感性分析以评估纳入研究的稳健性。使用Egger检验和Begg检验来检查发表偏倚。
本系统评价和荟萃分析纳入了20项研究，涉及14,743名参与者。照顾者中的主要心理问题是焦虑（36.6%，95%置信区间[CI] 19.6 - 53.7%）、抑郁（41.1%，95%CI 35.4 - 46.8%）和压力（58.9%，95%CI 45.1 - 72.7%）。患病率在研究年份、国家经济水平、大洲和样本量方面存在差异。
我们的研究表明，在新冠疫情期间，患有神经发育障碍的儿童和青少年的照顾者中焦虑、抑郁和压力的患病率很高。因此，这些照顾者的心理问题不应被忽视。我们建议政府应为照顾者提供更多的医疗和经济援助。
本文补充了什么？当前研究是第一项聚焦于新冠疫情期间孩子患有神经发育障碍的父母的系统评价和荟萃分析。结果表明，患有神经发育障碍的儿童的照顾者中心理问题的患病率尤为普遍，这表明我们应重视这一特殊群体的育儿压力和心理健康。
