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Children and COVID-19 Research Library

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

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16 - 30 of 44
Emotional and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms of preterm vs. full-term children during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

AUTHOR(S)
Marion Bailhache; Maeva Monnier; Flore Moulin (et al.)

Published: March 2022   Journal: Pediatric Research

Preterm children are at higher risk of developing mental health problems than full-term children. Deterioration of children’s mental health was observed during COVID-19 pandemic restrictive measures. This study compared emotional and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms during school closure between preterm and full-term children. Data from two French birth cohorts—ELFE and EPIPAGE-2—were used. In 2011, infants born ≥22 weeks’ gestation were recruited. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire when the children were 9 years old and experiencing school closure. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models were used.

The psychological effects of COVID-19-related containment in children: the E-COCCON French study

AUTHOR(S)
I. Claudet; C. Marchand-Tonel; M. Kelly-Irving (et al.)

Published: January 2022   Journal: Archives de Pédiatrie

The main objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of PTS symptoms within 6 weeks of the end of lockdown, in children. This was a French prospective cross-sectional study between May 15 and July 2, 2020 conducted via telephone survey. Parents of children aged between 8 and 15 years were eligible. The invitation to participate was proposed through social networks (Instagram and Facebook), various local and national media, and by e-mail to the staff of our University Hospital Center. The PTS symptoms were assessed using the CRIES-13. A score of 30 and over has been confirmed as the cut-off for screening cases.

Perceived impact of lockdown on daily life in children with physical disabilities and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Roxane Varengue; Sylvain Brochard; Sandra Bouvier (et al.)

Published: December 2021   Journal: Child: Care, Health and Development

The first lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic in France led to an abrupt change in children's daily lives. For children with physical disabilities and their families, activities were limited, access to healthcare and therapy was disrupted, and family organization was altered. The objective was to report the impact of the lockdown on daily life activities and well-being of children with physical disabilities as perceived by caregivers. Two online national surveys were addressed to the parents of children with physical disabilities (ECHO survey: 6 April to 11 May 2020) and without disabilities (E-COPAIN survey: 24 April to 11 May 2020), confined at home during the lockdown. A lockdown impact score was calculated from difficulties related to children's well-being (morale, behaviour and social interaction) and daily life activities (schooling and physical activity) and compared between groups. Data on family environment, parental stress and concerns were collected.

Acceptance of childhood and adolescent vaccination against COVID-19 in France: a national cross-sectional study in May 2021

AUTHOR(S)
Pierre Verger; Patrick Peretti-Watel; Amandine Gagneux-Brunon (et al.)

Published: December 2021   Journal: Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
The French health authorities extended vaccination against COVID-19 to adolescents in June 2021, during the epidemic resurgence linked to the delta variant and because of insufficient vaccination coverage to ensure collective protection. In May 2021, a national online cross-sectional survey of 2533 adults was conducted in France to study their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and their acceptance of child/adolescent vaccination according to targeted age groups (<6 years; 6–11; 12–17) and its determinants. This study applied a multi-model averaged logistic regression for each of these age groups to study the determinants of favorability to vaccination. Among the respondents, 62.7% (1597) accepted COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents, 48.3% (1223) for children aged 6–11 years, and only 31% (783) for children under 6 years.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on child abuse and neglect: a cross-sectional study in a French child advocacy center

AUTHOR(S)
L. Massiot; E. Launay; J. Fleury (et al.)

Published: December 2021   Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect

This study aimed to describe the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in France on the activity of a Child Advocacy Center. This cross-sectional, observational study included all children involved in the activity of the CAC during the first lockdown, from March 16 to May 10, 2020 and the next 3 months and the corresponding periods in 2018 and 2019. Cases were considered severe when a hospitalization, social alert and/or judicial report to the prosecutor was decided.

The interaction between lockdown-specific conditions and family-specific variables explains the presence of child insomnia during COVID-19: a key response to the current debate

AUTHOR(S)
Royce Anders; Florian Lecuelle; Clément Perrin (et al.)

Published: November 2021   Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
It is still debated whether lockdown conditions in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis seriously affected children’s sleep. For young children, some studies identified more insomnia, while others only transient disturbances, or even no effect. Based on the premise of mother–child synchrony, a well-known dynamic established in child development research, this study hypothesized that principally, the children whose mothers perceived the lockdown as stressful and/or responded maladaptively, suffered sleep disturbances. The main objective of this study was to identify the family profiles, variables, and lockdown responses most linked to insomnia in young children. The sample consisted of 165 mothers, French vs. Swiss origin (accounting for different lockdown severities), of children 6 months to 5 years old. Validated sleep, stress, and behavior scales were used.
Identified motivation as a key factor for school engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic-related school closure

AUTHOR(S)
Léa Tân Combette; Etienne Camenen; Jean-Yves Rotge (et al.)

Published: November 2021   Journal: Frontiers in Psychology
On March 16, 2020, French schools suddenly closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and middle school students were asked to study from home with no direct interactions with teachers or classmates. However, school plays an important role in the development of social, intellectual, and mental competencies and can counteract the negative effects of adverse life events on learning and early school dropout. This study investigated how the unusual context of school closure during the COVID-19 pandemic affected school engagement. Specifically, it focused on inter-individual differences in the motivational determinants of school engagement. It thus performed an online survey of 170 students focusing on the time spent on mathematics assignments, motivation regulation, implicit theories of intelligence, such as adopting a growth or a fixed mindset about his/her intellectual abilities, and optimism. Importantly, the students participated in the online survey during the first lockdown period, with schools closed, and the second lockdown period, with schools remaining open.
Children's mental and behavioral health, schooling, and socioeconomic characteristics during school closure in France due to COVID-19: the SAPRIS project

AUTHOR(S)
Maëva Monnier; Flore Moulin; Xavier Thierry (et al.)

Published: November 2021   Journal: Scientific Reports
COVID-19 limitation strategies have led to widespread school closures around the world. The present study reports children’s mental health and associated factors during the COVID-19 school closure in France in the spring of 2020. This study conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the SAPRIS project set up during the COVID-19 pandemic in France. Using multinomial logistic regression models, we estimated associations between children’s mental health, children’s health behaviors, schooling, and socioeconomic characteristics of the children’s families. The sample consisted of 5702 children aged 8–9 years, including 50.2% girls. In multivariate logistic regression models, children’s sleeping difficulties were associated with children’s abnormal symptoms of both hyperactivity-inattention (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.05; 95% Confidence Interval 1.70–2.47) and emotional symptoms (aOR 5.34; 95% CI 4.16–6.86).
Anxiety and depression in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder during the first COVID-19 lockdown: report from the ELENA cohort

AUTHOR(S)
Ela Miniarikova; Christelle Vernheta; Marianne Peries (et al.)

Published: November 2021   Journal: Journal of Psychiatric Research

The Covid-19 pandemic had a strong impact on mental health in the general population. This study conducted during the first lockdown in France considered parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) prospectively followed in the ELENA Cohort. This study aimed to (1) compare the Anxiety and Depression (AaD) levels during the lockdown between mothers and fathers, (2) compare the parent's AaD between the lockdown and the last ELENA follow-up visit, and (3) identify risk factors for parental AaD during lockdown among socio-demographic and children's clinical characteristics.

Symptoms of emotional difficulties and hyperactivity/inattention among children during the COVID-19 epidemic and associated lockdown: data from the SAPRIS project

AUTHOR(S)
C. Galéra; F. Moulin; M. Melchior (et al.)

Published: October 2021   Journal: European Journal of Public Health

COVID-19 limitation strategies led to widespread school closures around the world. The present study aims to provide a description of children's mental health and associated factors during the COVID-19 school closure in France. It conducted a cross-sectional analysis in the SAPRIS study during the COVID-19 pandemic in France, relying on 2 ongoing national birth cohorts, ELFE and EPIPAGE 2. Using weighted multinomial logistic regression models, it estimated associations between children's mental health (i.e., hyperactivity/inattention and emotional symptoms; assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), children's health behaviors, schooling, as well as sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics of children family.

Temporal trends in suicide attempts among children in the decade before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Paris, France

AUTHOR(S)
Anthony Cousien; Eric Acquaviva; Solen Kernéis (et al.)

Published: October 2021   Journal: JAMA Network Open

Recent studies have reported a deterioration in children’s mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with an increase in anxiety and mood disorders. Rates of suicide ideation and suicide attempts among children were also higher when COVID-19–related stressors were heightened in 2020. This study aimed to better assess temporal trends in suicide attempts among children while adjusting for annual and seasonal fluctuations. It conducted a cross-sectional study of surveillance data collected over the past 10 years at the Robert Debré Hospital in Paris, France, which is one of the largest pediatric centers in Europe.

School closures in France in 2020: Inequalities and consequences for perceptions, practices and relationships towards and within schools

AUTHOR(S)
Filippo Pirone

Published: October 2021   Journal: European Journal of Education
The French education system is known for its inequalities, as well as difficulties in relations between teachers, pupils and their families. But what happens when schools close their gates and begin teaching remotely? To support a sociological discussion of quantitative (N = 5,875) and qualitative (N = 20) data collected with the participation of French teachers during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, this article illustrates how the period of distance teaching was handled and the consequences for perceptions, practices and relations between teachers, pupils and families. The results from our survey show that, although educational inequalities increased during the period of school closures, it nonetheless enabled a good number of school stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to learning and teaching and to strengthen social connections.
The exacerbation of a crisis: the impact of COVID-19 on people on the move at the French-Italian border

AUTHOR(S)
Diletta Mastria; Jean Daniel Patierno

Published: September 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Europe, the situation for displaced people in the Italian border town of Ventimiglia deteriorated further. Vulnerable individuals and groups would face additional dangers and protection risks in this context, while unaccompanied children continued to be pushed back at alarming rates while being treated as adults, a tactical practice aimed at depriving them of their right to seek asylum in France. This report is based on a combination of desk and field research, and sheds a light on the grave impacts of COVID-19 on an already desperate situation at the French-Italian border. It underlines the acute impact of the pandemic on all aspects of life for people on the move, including access to adequate shelter, medical care, protection, and other rights violations such as racial profiling, pushbacks and detention.

Contrasts and ambivalences in French parents’ experiences regarding changes in eating and cooking behaviours during the COVID-19 lockdown

AUTHOR(S)
Kaat Philippe; Sylvie Issanchou; Sandrine Monnery-Patris

Published: September 2021   Journal: Food Quality and Preference
Using open-ended questions, this study explored parents’ experiences regarding changes in their family’s food-related behaviours during the first COVID-19 lockdown in France (March-May 2020). Parents (N=498, 72% mothers) of children aged 3-12 years described which food-related changes they (1) perceived as positive during the lockdown, (2) perceived as negative, and (3) would like to maintain after the lockdown. A thematic analysis revealed that parents appreciated the choice of more local, fresh foods, the time to prepare food (home-made dishes, new recipes) and cooking and eating together with the family. In contrast, some parents highlighted a burden imposed by the increased food preparation at home. They also described a higher intake of unhealthy, palatable food (or the temptation to do so), and weight concerns. Parents would like to maintain their choice of local, fresh foods, and to continue spending more time together around food but doubt the feasibility after the lockdown. The results revealed many inter- and intra-individual contrasts in parents’ answers. An ambivalent attitude toward food pleasure was demonstrated: the sensory/commensal pleasure of eating versus the concerns about an increased intake of pleasurable food. Additionally, gender differences were observed: mothers perceived the preparation of additional meals, for example, more often as a burden than fathers. This study revealed intimate perceptions of the impact of the lockdown on eating habits in families. They give insight into possible facilitators and barriers (e.g., time) for the adoption of recommended eating and cooking behaviours in families, beyond the pandemic.
Physical abuse of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic: alarming increase in the relative frequency of hospitalizations during the lockdown period

AUTHOR(S)
Mélanie Loiseau; Jonathan Cottenet; Sonia Bechraoui-Quantin (et al.)

Published: September 2021   Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect

In France, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a general lockdown from mid-March to mid-May 2020, forcing families to remain confined. This study hypothesized that children may have been victims of more physical abuse during the lockdown, involving an increase in the relative frequency of hospitalization. Using the national administrative database on all admissions to public and private hospitals (PMSI), all children aged 0–5 years hospitalized were selected and physically abused children based on ICD-10 codes were identified.

16 - 30 of 44

UNICEF Innocenti's Children and COVID-19 Library is a database collecting research from around the world on COVID-19 and its impacts on children and adolescents.

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COVID-19 & Children: Rapid Research Response

UNICEF Innocenti is mobilizing a rapid research response in line with UNICEF’s global response to the COVID-19 crisis. The initiatives we’ve begun will provide the broad range of evidence needed to inform our work to scale up rapid assessment, develop urgent mitigating strategies in programming and advocacy, and preparation of interventions to respond to the medium and longer-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. The research projects cover a rapid review of evidence, education analysis, and social and economic policies.