Children and COVID-19 Research Library

Parenting a child with a disability, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes, implies a high level of stress. During the COVID-19 outbreak—as a period implying additional challenges—few studies have specifically investigated caregivers’ distress among neurodevelopmental disabilities. The objective of the study is to investigate whether during the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of parental stress differs between four disability groups including neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) and genetic syndromes (Rett syndrome (RTT), Sotos syndrome (SS)) in comparison to families with typical development offspring (TD). In total, 220 Italian parents of children affected by neurodevelopmental disabilities (74 ASD, 51 ADHD, 34 SS, 21 RTT, 40 TD; age M 9.4 ± SD 4.2) underwent a standardized evaluation for stress related to parenting through the self-report questionnaire,

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has substantially impacted the daily lives of people. The isolation and quarantine measures may also have negatively impacted well-being in individuals with food allergy (FA), who may be more vulnerable in some areas than the general public. For example, food shortages and lock-down policies have required changes in food purchasing habits, potentially limiting food choices; furthermore, it is likely that COVID-19 prevented access to FA-related medical care. The difficulty of allergen avoidance and fear of accidental exposure affects health-related and FA-related quality of life (HRQL/FAQL). The exogenous shock of COVID-19 and resulting social isolation have imposed additional stressors. To date, there is limited published evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on HRQL/FAQL in this population. This study explored to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the subjective well-being of children and adolescents with FA in Australia.

In 2020, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) and Women Enabled International (WEI), alongside the U.N Partnership for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and eight local and regional organisations working to advance rights for persons with disabilities, partnered to undertake a global study of the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls with disabilities, particularly as related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and their right to be free from gender-based violence (GBV). Through virtual consultations with and written survey responses from over 300 women, girls, men, and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities, their advocates, and their support persons from around the world, we have learned that in almost all contexts—Global North and Global South, in places hit hard by CO V I D -19 and others with a much lower rate of infection—women and girls with disabilities have been left behind. They have struggled to meet their basic needs, to access needed health services including those needed both because of their gender and disability, and have faced disproportionate risks of violence.

Raising a child with a mental disability puts a significant amount of social, financial, and psychological strain on the entire family. Parents are especially susceptible as they are the primary and only constant caregivers. The difficulty of the task demands that aspects of caretaking be delegated to external agencies to reach an optimal compensation between personal well-being of the parents and nurturement of the child. Amid the haste policies created for country-wide lockdowns, many governments have ignored this vulnerable subset of the popula-tion.