Segal Hila, Shachar-Lavie Iris, Bar-David Ido, Fennig Silvana, Benaroya-Milshtein Noa
Psychiatric Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah-Tikva, Israel.
Psychiatric Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah-Tikva, Israel; Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Pediatr Neurol. 2025 Aug;169:13-20. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2025.05.003. Epub 2025 May 9.
Emerging research points to the profound ramifications of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on various aspects of life, including children's mental health and functioning.
The present article comprises two independent studies aimed at exploring the pandemic's implications on Israeli youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A total of 81 youths aged 6 to 18 years participated in these studies, recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a medical center in Israel. Study 1 (n = 39) prospectively examined emotional and behavioral difficulties before the pandemic outbreak and at two additional time points during the pandemic, among a group of youths with ADHD and a psychiatric control group. Study 2 (n = 42) examined clinical severity and functioning based on reports from parents and psychiatrists, in a separate group of youth with ADHD assessed twice during the pandemic.
In Study 1, both groups experienced a significant increase in peer problems; nevertheless, children with ADHD showed improvement in hyperactivity/inattention symptoms over time. In Study 2, children's clinical severity significantly improved over time, as reported by their parents; however, no changes were reflected in psychiatrists' reports.
The integration of the two studies enabled an extensive outlook at the impact of the pandemic-related restrictions on youths with ADHD. The perceived parental improvement during a global health crisis highlights the daily familial challenges involved in coping with a child's ADHD in routine time. These findings encourage the development of focal interventions to better address the needs of children with ADHD and their families.
