Children and COVID-19 Research Library

This study aims to compare and analyze the implications of COVID-19 on the sexual health of Mexican gay and bisexual young and adult men (GBM). It is an online survey with 1001 GBM participants. Information was collected on sexual desire, use of mobile applications, sexual practices during the pandemic, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from August to October 2020. Young participants were compared with adults.

Women, particularly mothers, have faced disparate socioeconomic consequences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has yet to examine whether the consequences of the pandemic vary based on the level of neighborhood disorder, which is associated with various health conditions, including COVID-19 complications. The present study utilizes data from a diverse sample of 221 women with justice-involved sons interviewed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Negative binominal and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether perceived neighborhood social disorder is related to socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether the relation varies for mothers with and without children in their home during the pandemic.

This article presents the results of the qualitative research and the thematic discourse analysis of discussions of Facebook groups of parents of pupils in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The aim was to identify how the parents perceived the issue of distance learning during the COVID-2 pandemic and how they approached the problems that they encountered. Parents step into the role of a teacher and of a pupil; they are participants and observers of the educational process and advisors and supporters of their children. They evaluate the educational process from the didactics and the instructive point of view but they lack competencies that belong to teachers. Insufficient digital literacy and lacking equipment in households regarding ICT represent a weak point. Problems linked to the loss of social contacts and isolation are growing in number. Families also struggle with economic and logistics problems.

This study aims to provide insights into the relationship between COVID-19-induced social exclusion and quality of life among adolescents and further examines its underlying mechanism. A total of 2,354 (1,024 boys, Mage = 12.97 years, SD = 1.49) adolescents from Hubei Province, China, participated in this study. Zero-order correlations and structural equation modelling were performed to test the relationships. Results indicated that COVID-19-induced social exclusion was negatively linked with perceived control over COVID-19 threats and quality of life. Meanwhile, perceived control over COVID-19 threats was positively associated with quality of life and partially mediated the relationship between COVID-19-induced social exclusion and quality of life.

During the first wave of COVID-19 there was little evidence to guide appropriate child and family programs and policy supports. This study compared policies and programs implemented to support early child health and well-being during the first wave of COVID-19 in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK, and the USA. Program and policy themes were focused on prenatal care, well-baby visits and immunization schedules, financial supports, domestic violence and housing, childcare supports, child protective services, and food security.

Breastfeeding mothers have had limited access to breastfeeding support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate breastfeeding practices during the COVID-19 period and to determine the factors associated with supporting exclusive breastfeeding. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was adopted, including a quantitative method in the first phase and qualitative method in the second phase. Mothers whose babies were aged over 6 months to 24 months old from July to September 2021 in Pekanbaru City were selected as research subjects. Data analysis was performed with multivariate and deductive content analysis. Of 156 participants, 97 mothers (62.2%) exclusively breastfed their babies. Of those, mothers who delivered exclusive breastfeeding worked less than eight hours per day, were aged 17–25 and had low education. Though by using exclusive breastfeeding practice as a reference, associated supports, including emotional, instrumental, appraisal and information regarding exclusive breastfeeding practice were insignificant; however, mothers who practice exclusive breastfeeding had higher information support.

The coronavirus pandemic brought significant changes in people’s lives and, for caregivers of those with mental disorders, there was an increase in the burden. This study aimed to analyze the burden on caregivers of children with mental disorders. A cross-sectional, descriptive study with caregivers of children aged four to 12 years in psychiatric outpatient follow-up, who answered questions and the Zarit Burden Interview.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were particularly vulnerable to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study we conducted an anonymous caregiver survey to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial and behavioral health of children with ASD. Data from 700 responses identified several significant factors predicting greater difficulties for the child including pre-existing behavioral challenges (OR = 5.179; 95% CI: 2.696, 9.951), disrupted sleep (OR = 2.618; 95% CI 1.341, 5.112), and a diagnosis of depression (OR = 3.425; 95% CI: 1.1621, 4.116). Greater difficulties for caregivers in managing their child’s behaviors were associated with sleep disturbances (OR = 1.926; 95% CI: 1.170, 3.170), self-injurious behavior (OR = 3.587; 95% CI: 1.767, 7.281), and managing the child’s school activities (OR = 3.107; 95% CI: 1.732, 5.257) and free time (OR = 3.758; 95% CI: 2.217, 6.369). However, being under the care of a neuropsychiatrist was associated with less difficulty in managing the child’s behaviors (OR = 2.516; 95% CI: −1.046, −5.382). Finally, the presence of comorbidities (OR = 2.599; 95% CI: 1.053, 4.067) and a greater difficulty in managing the child’s school activities (OR = 2.531; 95% CI: 1.655, 3.868) and free time (OR = 1.651; 95% CI: 1.101, 2.478) were associated with an increased likelihood of caregiver desire for their child to return to in-person school in the fall. The COVID-19 pandemic had a wide-ranging impact on the behaviors of children with ASD and challenges for their caregivers.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to disrupt the availability and utilization of routine and emergency health care services, with differing impacts in jurisdictions across the world. In this scoping review, we set out to synthesize documentation of the direct and indirect effect of the pandemic, and national responses to it, on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in Africa. A scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of the most significant impacts identified up to March 15, 2022. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, HealthSTAR, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus electronic databases. Peer reviewed literature that discussed maternal and child health in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, published from January 2020 to March 2022, and written in English was included. Papers that did not focus on the African region or an African country were excluded. A data-charting form was developed by the two reviewers to determine which themes to extract, and narrative descriptions were written about the extracted thematic areas.

This study aimed to determine the effects of the events during the COVID-19 epidemic on adolescents' levels of intolerance of uncertainty, internet addiction, happiness, and life satisfaction. Structural Equation Modeling was used in the analysis of the data. Adolescents' internet use increased during the epidemic process. It was found that COVID-19 events increased intolerance of uncertainty, and negatively affected internet addiction and happiness (p < 0.001). In this process, internet addiction and happiness is a mediator (p < 0.001). It is recommended to monitor adolescents' internet use during the COVID-19 process and to provide information about COVID-19.

This study examines associations between media use and mental health for adolescents prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using two separate datasets that sampled adolescents (8th, 10th, and 12th graders) in 2018 (n = 31,825) and 2020 (n = 1,523), mental health (hopelessness and happiness), media use (time spent using a variety of media), and personal health habits (sleep) were assessed.

What are the effects of school and daycare facility closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on parental well-being and parenting behavior? Can emergency childcare policies during a pandemic mitigate increases in parental stress and negative parenting behavior? To answer these questions, this study leverages cross-state variation in emergency childcare eligibility rules during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany and draws on unique data from the 2019 and 2020 waves of the German AID:A family panel.

The issue of school reopening has raised several concerns; therefore, the parent’s opinion is essential to consider. This study aimed to evaluate the parent’s attitudes and concerns toward school reopening in the COVID-19 era. A cross-sectional survey was performed using in-person self-administered questionnaires, the data was collected in the period between January and April 2021 covering parents’ concerns and attitudes toward school reopening. A total of 402 parents participated in the survey.

To contain the COVID-19 pandemic schools have been closed in many countries. Children stayed at home and were assisted by their parents with their schoolwork. Evidently, homeschooling puts extra demands on parents. This research presumed that parents’ sense of efficacy in teaching would play a key role in how they cope with this extra task of homeschooling. In particular, it hypothesized that parental characteristics (level of parental education and stress) and social contextual factors (household chaos and school support) would contribute to parents’ teaching self-efficacy and that, in turn, a lower efficacy would result in more parent–child conflict during home schooling. Participants were 173 mothers of children in kindergarten or early elementary schools, who provided information for one of their children about interpersonal conflicts around schoolwork before and during school closure.

This paper investigates students' online learning experience during COVID-19, specifically aiming to identify points of improvement within the current distance-learning infrastructure in Thailand. The research consolidates students ’opinions toward online learning, their ease in adapting to the new learning environment, which depends not only on each student's learning style but also on their teachers as well as social and economic factors. Identifying the advantages and disadvantages of learning from home, the research presents students' needs and suggestions for improvement. As such, this work may guide future adjustments to online learning.