Children and COVID-19 Research Library

This study aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle, habits, and behavioral differences in children, and their changing internet use habits. The research was planned as a cross-sectional study involving 4892 children aged 8 to 17 years attending schools in the city center of Trabzon, Turkey. Children’s daily living activities, social habits, mood and temperament changes, and internet use were investigated before and during the pandemic. In terms of problematic internet use, internet addiction rates were evaluated using the validated Turkish-language version of the Parent-Child Internet Addiction Scale (PCIAT-20).

This study aims to examine the admissions to a refugee child outpatient mental health unit in the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare them with the pre-pandemic period. This retrospective observational study, planned through the hospital information system and patient files, included the 1-year number of outpatient unit admissions, sociodemographic, and clinical data. Before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019–February 2020), a total of 2322 patients (local and refugee) applied to the same unit, and 236 (10.1%) of these patients were refugees. Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey (March 2020–February 2021), 1209 patients applied, and 10.4% (n = 126) of them were refugees. While 19.66 ± 6.31 refugees applied per month in the pre-pandemic period, this number decreased to 10.50 ± 5.31 during the pandemic period (p = 0.01). During the pandemic period, there was a significant decrease in the number of female refugee patient admissions. In addition, while admissions for external disorders increased significantly during the pandemic period (x2 = 13.99, p = 0.001), admissions for internal disorders decreased significantly (x2 = 4.54, p = 0.03).

This study aimed to determine parents’ levels of anxiety and fear and suspicion in relation to the COVID-19 period and the possible predictive factors for these variables in families admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Turkey. In this way, it is hoped to contribute to the identification of priority target groups in psychosocial support services. The research study group consisted of 600 patients aged 0–18 years and their parents who were referred to a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Parents completed the COVID-19-related psychological distress (CORPD) scale and the data recording form developed specifically for this study. All cases included in the study were examined by a child and adolescent psychiatrist for diagnostic evaluation and their current diagnoses were recorded.

Sleep disturbances in childhood are an important pediatrics problem because of their influence on children's health and their strong correlation with behavior problems. The aim of the present study was to explore sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic in school-age children. A cross-sectional survey design was used for data collection. From 1 to 15 February 2021, the study utilized snowball sampling techniques to gather data through an online survey. Parents of 1040 6–12-year-old schoolchildren completed the Socio-demographic Information Questionnaire and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to pinpoint factors connected to sleep disturbances.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly around the world, causing massive morbidity and mortality. Vaccination during puerperium protects both the mother and the newborn and is important to keep the pandemic under control. Women who gave birth at Ankara City Hospital between February 11, 2021 and March 21, 2021 were included. Data were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire.

There is limited research on children infected with Covid-19 after initial diagnosis. The aim of this study was to describe changes in symptoms in children infected by Covid-19 after 1st and 3rd months of diagnosis. Covid-19 patients age under 18 admitted to the Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey during December 2020 (n = 144) and completed three months follow-up (n = 123) were included in this prospective cohort study. Data on age, sex, parents' educational status, perceived economic status, presence of Covid-19 patient at household, chronic diseases history, initial and existing symptoms and perception of recovery were collected via telephone interviews. Persistent symptom was defined as any symptom reported within a week of the interview. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U Test were used for univariate analyses.