Children and COVID-19 Research Library

UNICEF Innocenti's curated library of COVID-19 + Children research

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Journal article

The impact of gender differences, school adjustment, social interactions, and social activities on emotional and behavioral reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese school children

AUTHOR(S)
Yuma Ishimoto; Takahiro Yamane; Yuki Matsumoto

Published: February 2022 Journal: SSM - Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative psychological effects, such as increased depression, anxiety, and suicide, on children worldwide, including in Japan. To effectively mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic among Japanese children, it is necessary to increase understanding of the culturally specific psychological effects on Japanese children, including age and gender differences, as well as related risk and protective factors. However, no previous research has quantitatively evaluated changes in Japanese children's emotional functioning before and after the pandemic began. The present study examined changes in Japanese children's emotional functioning with pre- and mid-pandemic questionnaires, particularly focusing on age and gender differences. The present study also explored the effects of school adjustment, social interactions, and lifestyle activities on children's emotional and behavioral functioning during the pandemic.

Journal article

Impacts of long-term coronavirus disease 2019 school closures on Japanese school children

AUTHOR(S)
Chiaki Hayano; Shuichi Shimakawa; Miho Fukui (et al.)

Published: January 2022 Journal: Pediatrics International

This study investigated the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic school closures on the mental health of school students with chronic diseases. Questionnaires were distributed to students from 4th–9th grade diagnosed with chronic diseases at Osaka Medical College Hospital and their parents or caregivers. Questionnaires from 286 families were returned by mail after the schools reopened. The students were divided into the “psychosomatic disorder” group (group P, n = 42), the “developmental disorder” group (group D, n = 89), and the “other disease” group (group O, n = 155). Using students' self-reports on the Questionnaire for Triage and Assessment with 30 items, we assessed the proportion of students with a high risk of psychosomatic disorder in three groups. We investigated how the students requiring the support of somatic symptom (SS) felt about school during school closure. Further, using parents’ and caregivers' answers, SS scores were calculated before and during school closure and after school reopening.

Journal article

Changes in Japanese junior high school students' sense of coherence before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study of children and mothers

AUTHOR(S)
Tomoko Omiya; Naoko Deguchi; Yumiko Sakata (et al.)

Published: January 2022 Journal: Frontiers in Psychiatry

This longitudinal study aimed to clarify the changes in the sense of coherence (SOC); that is, the ability to cope with stress successfully, of 166 Japanese junior high school students and their mothers before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, it analyzed changes in SOC at three time points for all students and divided them into two groups: Group 1 included students with SOC scores that increased or maintained before and after the onset of the pandemic and Group 2 included students with decreased SOC scores after the onset of the pandemic. Second, it conducted a comparative analysis between the two groups. Overall, results indicated that student's SOC scores increased. Additionally, interpersonal stress scores were lower after the onset of the pandemic than before. There were almost no differences in family relationships, financial conditions, or personality tendencies between the two groups.

Cite this research | Open access | No. of pages: 13 | Language: English | Topics: Mental Health | Tags: COVID-19 response, lockdown, maternal and child health, mental health services, mental stress, parent-child relationship, psychological distress, secondary education, social distance | Countries: Japan

Journal article

COVID-19 school and kindergarten closure relates to children's social relationships: a longitudinal study in Japan

AUTHOR(S)
Hiromichi Hagihara; Nozomi Yamamoto; Xianwei Meng (et al.)

Published: January 2022 Journal: Scientific Reports

The COVID-19 pandemic has led children to experience school closures. Although increasing evidence suggests that such intense social quarantine influences children’s social relationships with others, longitudinal studies are limited. Using longitudinal data collected during (T1) and after (T2) intensive school closure and home confinement, this study investigated the impacts of social quarantine on children’s social relationships. Japanese parents of children aged 0–9 years (n = 425) completed an online questionnaire that examined children’s socio-emotional behavior and perceived proximity to parents or others.

Journal article

Impacts of long-term COVID-19 school closures on Japanese school children

AUTHOR(S)
Chiaki Hayano; Shuichi Shimakawa; Miho Fukui (et al.)

Published: January 2022 Journal: Pediatrics International

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic school closures on the mental health of school students with chronic diseases. Questionnaires were distributed from 4th-9th grade students diagnosed with chronic diseases at Osaka Medical College Hospital and their parents or caregivers. Questionnaires from 286 families were returned by mail after schools reopened. The students were divided into the “psychosomatic disorder” group (P, n = 42), “developmental disorder” group (D, n = 89), and “other disease” group (O, n = 155). Using students’ self-report on the Questionnaire for Triage and Assessment with 30 items (QTA30), this study assessed the proportion of students having a high risk of psychosomatic disorder in three groups. It investigated how the students requiring the support of somatic symptom (SS) felt about school during school closure. Further, using parents’ and caregivers’ answers, SS scores were calculated before and during school closure and after school reopening.

Cite this research | Open access | No. of pages: 27 | Language: English | Topics: Education, Mental Health | Tags: COVID-19 response, disabled children, e-learning, education of disabled children, lockdown, mental health services, mental stress, psychological distress, remote learning, school attendance, social distance | Countries: Japan

Journal article

Home environment and social skills of Japanese preschool children pre- and post-COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Xiang Li; Dandan Jiao; Munenori Matsumoto (et al.)

Published: January 2022 Journal: Early Child Development and Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the daily life and social relationships of pre-school children globally. While many studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on children, few have compared the home environment and children’s social skills before and after the pandemic. To address this research gap, this study used data from the Japan Child Care Cohort study, which included questions on home environment answered by parents (1748 in 2019 and 1349 in 2020) of children aged 0–6 years using self-reported questionnaires and data on the social skills of children aged 1–6 years (1917 in 2019 and 1989 in 2020) that were evaluated by childcare professionals in childcare centres. Using the Chi-square test, home environments and social skills were compared.

Cite this research | Open access | Language: English | Topics: Education, Health, Social Protection, Well-being and Equity | Tags: COVID-19 response, early childhood development, early childhood education, family environment, lockdown, parent-child relationship, social distance, social inequality | Countries: Japan

Journal article

Association between children’s engagement in community cultural activities and their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from A-CHILD study

AUTHOR(S)
Yui Yamaoka; Aya Isumi; Satomi Doi (et al.)

Published: December 2021 Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Social learning experiences developed through engagement in community cultural activities can affect a child’s development. Few studies have examined how children’s engagement in community activities is related to their mental health. This study aimed to examine associations between children’s participation in community cultural activities and their mental health. We targeted all sixth-grade children in all 69 primary schools in Adachi City, Tokyo, using the Adachi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (A-CHILD) study (n = 4391). Parents answered the validated Japanese version of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess child mental health, the child’s engagement in community cultural activities. The community activity in which children most frequently participated was local festivals.

Journal article

Change in Japanese children’s 24-hour movement guidelines and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Kim Hyunshik; Ma Jiameng; Lee Sunkyoung (et al.)

Published: November 2021 Journal: Scientific Reports

Specialized guidelines are required for the health behaviors of vulnerable populations such as children. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein major lifestyle changes have occurred, especially among young children. The present study aims to use longitudinal data to understand changes in the physical activity, screen time, sleep, and mental health of preschoolers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic period. Subjective and objective measures were used to assess the variables of interest longitudinally. It was found that physical activity, adherence to WHO-recommended screen time, and prosocial behaviors decreased significantly. On the other hand, sedentary time and hyperactivity increased. Our results are consistent with findings from other countries. The implications with respect to outdoor playtime, screen-time in the context of online learning during the pandemic, and the effects of parents’ mental health on preschool-aged children are discussed.

Journal article

Longitudinal association between smartphone ownership and depression among schoolchildren under COVID-19 pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Masaki Adachi; Michio Takahashi; Hiroki Shinkawa (et al.)

Published: November 2021 Journal: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Under the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding prolonged screen time and mental health effects in children have increased. This study examined the association of depression with smartphone ownership in school children at four time points: September 2019, July 2020, December 2020, and March 2021. The analysis revealed an interaction between group and time, indicating that depressive symptoms among smartphone owners were significantly more severe than in the other group. These results were clearer for fourth-year students, pointing that smartphone possession at younger ages may be a risk factor for mental health in the new lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cite this research | Open access | No. of pages: 5 | Language: English | Topics: Education, Mental Health | Tags: child mental health, COVID-19 response, lockdown, mental health services, mental stress, psychological distress, remote learning, school attendance, school-age population, social distance, social media | Countries: Japan

Journal article

Relationships between local school closures due to the COVID-19 and mental health problems of children, adolescents, and parents in Japan

AUTHOR(S)
Kohei Kishida; Masami Tsuda; Polly Waite (et al.)

Published: November 2021 Journal: Psychiatry Research

The widespread impacts of COVID-19 have affected both child and parent mental health worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between school closures due to COVID-19 and child and parent mental health in Japan. A sample of 1,984 Japanese parents with children and adolescents aged 6–15 years participated. The parents responded to online questionnaires about their own mental health and that of their children cross-sectionally. Participants were divided into three school situations based on the past week: full school closure, partial school closure, and full school open.

Cite this research | Open access | No. of pages: 7 | Language: English | Topics: Education, Mental Health | Tags: adolescent psychology, child education, child mental health, COVID-19 response, lockdown, mental health services, mental stress, parent-child relationship, psychological distress, school attendance, social distance | Countries: Japan

Research Report

COVID-19 education situation analysis in East Asia

Institution: *UNICEF, UNESCO
Published: October 2021

This sub-regional situational analysis provides a snapshot of the educational responses and effects of COVID-19 across East Asia based on a comprehensive desk-review of qualitative and quantitative evidence, complemented by key informant interviews with relevant education officials, local authorities and teachers across three countries in the sub-region (China, Japan and Republic of Korea).

Journal article

Parents’ hesitation about getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19 in Japan

AUTHOR(S)
Takeshi Yoda; Hironobu Katsuyama

Published: October 2021 Journal: Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Given the urgent global need for vaccinating individuals of all ages against the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the extent and reasons for parents’ willingness to get their children vaccinated is important. This study used an internet-based questionnaire survey to determine parents’ willingness to get their children (0 to 15 years) vaccinated in Japan and was conducted in April 2021 before COVID-19 vaccination for children began. Socio-demographic information, information about parents’ willingness to get children vaccinated, reasons for their responses, and parents’ willingness to get themselves vaccinated were obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate parents’ willingness to get children vaccinated based on the other variables.

Research Report

Children’s daily lives and well-being: findings from the CORONA-CODOMO survey #1

AUTHOR(S)
Mayumi Hangai; Aurelie Piedvache; Naomi Sawada (et al.)

Published: September 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed people’s lives dramatically. Few data on the acute effects of the pandemic on children’s daily lives and well-being have been published to date. This study aimed to capture the effects on Japanese children during the first peak of the outbreak. This study was a web-based, anonymous cross-sectional survey targeting Japanese children aged 7–17 years and parents/guardians of children aged 0–17 years. Eligible individuals were invited to the survey from April 30 to May 31, 2020. This self-report questionnaire examined daily life and behaviors, psychological symptoms, well-being, quality of life, and positive parenting or abusive behaviors at the very beginning of the outbreak.

Cite this research | Open access | Language: English | Topics: Social Protection, Well-being and Equity, Mental Health | Tags: child abuse and neglect, child mental health, child well-being, COVID-19 response, lockdown, mental health services, mental stress, parent-child relationship, psychological distress, social distance | Countries: Japan

Journal article

Trust and well-being of postpartum women during the COVID-19 crisis: depression and fear of COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Midori Matsushima; Kanami Tsuno; Sumiyo Okawa (et al.)

Published: September 2021 Journal: SSM - Population Health

During crisis, trust has been found to have a buffering effect in the prevention of the deterioration of mental well-being, as trust is considered to reflect the individual's capability to gain social resources including both formal and informal support. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, political trust has been found to reduce anxiety. Taking these findings into account, this study explores the association of generalised and political trust with mental well-being on current postpartum women who were particularly at risk due to a decline in social support leaving them an increased burden of caring newborns during the pandemic.

Journal article

Differences in psychological and behavioral changes between children following school closure due to COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Kiwamu Nakachi; Kentaro Kawabe; Rie Hosokawa (et al.)

Published: August 2021 Journal: Psychiatry Journal

School closure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pushed children across ages and nationalities into a state of mental health crisis. In Japan, children between the ages of 6 and 18 were ordered to stay at home and observe social distancing for several months. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of quarantine due to COVID-19 on children belonging to different developmental stages in life. Data were collected from mothers of typically developing children aged between 6 and 18 years. The differences in psychological and behavioral changes following school closure during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored.

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