Shang Chi-Yung, Chang Luan-Yin, Chang Yu-Tzu, Chia-Yu Kuo Diana, Lu Chun-Yi, Yen Ting-Yu, Gau Susan Shur-Fen
Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
J Formos Med Assoc. 2025 Apr;124(4):320-325. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2024.10.018. Epub 2024 Oct 20.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has remarkably impacted children's mental health. Investigating whether COVID-19-related behavioral changes persist after recovery from the acute phase of infection warrants investigation. The present study aimed to identify children's behavioral/emotional and social adjustment problems after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
84 children aged 6-16 received assessments within 6 months after being tested positive for COVID-19. Their parents reported observations about their children 3 months before SARS-CoV-2 infection (pre-COVID condition) and the most recent 2 weeks (post-COVID condition) on a wide range of psychopathologies and social functional impairments. A control group consisted of 84 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy children, with the same measures as those employed in the COVID group.
Compared with the control group, the COVID group in the post-COVID condition had more severe symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, opposition, a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems, and poor school functions, school attitude, social interaction, school behavioral problems, and interaction problems with their parents. Compared with the pre-COVID condition, the COVID group had greater severity of inattention, somatic complaints, thought problems, internalizing problems, poor school functions, and interaction problems with their parents in the post-COVID condition.
The present study identified a significant link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and various post-COVID mental health sequelae in children, including behavioral/emotional and social adjustment challenges. Our results underline the importance of raising awareness about ongoing post-COVID mental health concerns in children.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起，对儿童心理健康产生了显著影响。调查COVID-19相关的行为变化在感染急性期康复后是否持续存在值得研究。本研究旨在确定SARS-CoV-2感染后儿童的行为/情绪和社会适应问题。
84名6至16岁的儿童在COVID-19检测呈阳性后的6个月内接受了评估。他们的父母报告了在SARS-CoV-2感染前3个月（COVID前状况）和最近2周（COVID后状况）对孩子在广泛的精神病理学和社会功能障碍方面的观察情况。一个对照组由84名年龄、性别和智商匹配的健康儿童组成，采用与COVID组相同的测量方法。
与对照组相比，COVID组在COVID后状况下有更严重的注意力不集中、多动冲动、对立症状，以及广泛的情绪和行为问题，在学校功能、学校态度、社会互动、学校行为问题和与父母的互动问题方面表现较差。与COVID前状况相比，COVID组在COVID后状况下注意力不集中、躯体不适、思维问题、内化问题、学校功能差以及与父母的互动问题更为严重。
本研究确定了SARS-CoV-2感染与儿童各种COVID后心理健康后遗症之间的显著联系，包括行为/情绪和社会适应挑战。我们的结果强调了提高对儿童持续存在的COVID后心理健康问题认识的重要性。
