Wang Gloria, Ategbole Muyiwa, Luo Xingguang, Wang Kesheng, Xu Chun
Department of Quantitative Theory & Methods, College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
J Affect Disord. 2025 Jul 1;380:154-161. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.092. Epub 2025 Mar 19.
Limited research has explored the associations between developmental disabilities and symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study investigates the associations between developmental disabilities and symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. children and examines whether these associations differ by gender.
The analysis included 6092 children aged 5-17 from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Key risk factors for anxiety and depression symptoms included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), learning disability (LD), and developmental delay (DD). Weighted multivariable logistic regression (MLR) was conducted to evaluate associations with anxiety and depression symptoms.
The overall prevalence of anxiety was 14.8 % (12.8 % for males and 17.0 % for females), while depression prevalence was 5.1 % (4.2 % for males; and 6.0 % for females). Children with developmental disabilities had significantly higher prevalence rates of anxiety and depression compared to their peers without such conditions (p < 0.05). MLR analysis revealed that being female and having a history of ADHD, ASD, LD, and DD were associated with increased odds of both anxiety and depression (p < 0.05). ID was associated with increased odds of anxiety but not depression. COVID-19 was not significantly associated with either anxiety or depression. Furthermore, the associations of ASD, LD, ID, and DD with anxiety and depression varied by gender.
Developmental disabilities were significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. children in 2021, with notable gender differences. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating gender-sensitive approaches in designing effective prevention and intervention strategies.
在新冠疫情期间，针对美国儿童发育障碍与焦虑和抑郁症状之间关联的研究有限。
本研究调查美国儿童发育障碍与焦虑和抑郁症状之间的关联，并检验这些关联是否因性别而异。
分析纳入了2021年美国国家健康访谈调查（NHIS）中的6092名5至17岁儿童。焦虑和抑郁症状的主要风险因素包括注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）、自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）、智力残疾（ID）、学习障碍（LD）和发育迟缓（DD）。采用加权多变量逻辑回归（MLR）来评估与焦虑和抑郁症状的关联。
焦虑的总体患病率为14.8%（男性为12.8%，女性为17.0%），而抑郁患病率为5.1%（男性为4.2%；女性为6.0%）。与没有这些情况的同龄人相比，患有发育障碍的儿童焦虑和抑郁的患病率显著更高（p < 0.05）。MLR分析显示，女性以及有ADHD、ASD、LD和DD病史与焦虑和抑郁的几率增加相关（p < 0.05）。ID与焦虑几率增加相关，但与抑郁无关。新冠疫情与焦虑或抑郁均无显著关联。此外，ASD、LD、ID和DD与焦虑和抑郁的关联因性别而异。
2021年美国儿童的发育障碍与焦虑和抑郁症状显著相关，且存在明显的性别差异。这些发现凸显了在设计有效的预防和干预策略时纳入性别敏感方法的重要性。
