Original title: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany
Researchers asked children and teenagers in Germany about their quality of life and mental health during the pandemic. They compared their answers with a representative studyA study designed so its participants reflect the wider group it is meant to describe. conducted before the pandemic. Two-thirds said they felt highly burdened, and the survey found worse quality of life, more mental health problems, and higher anxiety than before. Children with fewer resources or less living space were affected more.
Imagine carrying out your usual school day while your home life and routines have changed. It can be hard to feel well when the space and support around you are limited. In this paper, the school-day strain stands for the pandemic burden, while children’s reports show how their quality of life and mental health changed compared with before.
The findings point to a mental-health burden for children and teenagers, especially those with low socioeconomic status, a migration background, or limited living space. Knowing who was more affected can help guide efforts to support young people and protect their quality of life.
The abstract reports a survey from May 26 to June 10 and a comparison with a pre-pandemic cohort; it does not establish that the pandemic alone caused the differences. It does not describe changes over later stages of the pandemic or report findings for children outside Germany.
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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany — Ulrike Ravens‐Sieberer, Anne Kaman, Michael Erhart et al. — European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01726-5
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.