• J Formos Med Assoc · Oct 2024

    Increased post-COVID-19 behavioral, emotional, and social problems in Taiwanese children.

    • Chi-Yung Shang, Luan-Yin Chang, Yu-Tzu Chang, Diana Chia-Yu Kuo, Chun-Yi Lu, Ting-Yu Yen, and Susan Shur-Fen Gau.
    • Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
    • J Formos Med Assoc. 2024 Oct 20.

    BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has remarkably impacted children's mental health. Investigating whether COVID-19-related behavioral changes persist after recovery from the acute phase of infection warrants investigation. The present study aimed to identify children's behavioral/emotional and social adjustment problems after SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods84 children aged 6-16 received assessments within 6 months after being tested positive for COVID-19. Their parents reported observations about their children 3 months before SARS-CoV-2 infection (pre-COVID condition) and the most recent 2 weeks (post-COVID condition) on a wide range of psychopathologies and social functional impairments. A control group consisted of 84 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy children, with the same measures as those employed in the COVID group.ResultsCompared with the control group, the COVID group in the post-COVID condition had more severe symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, opposition, a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems, and poor school functions, school attitude, social interaction, school behavioral problems, and interaction problems with their parents. Compared with the pre-COVID condition, the COVID group had greater severity of inattention, somatic complaints, thought problems, internalizing problems, poor school functions, and interaction problems with their parents in the post-COVID condition.ConclusionsThe present study identified a significant link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and various post-COVID mental health sequelae in children, including behavioral/emotional and social adjustment challenges. Our results underline the importance of raising awareness about ongoing post-COVID mental health concerns in children.Copyright © 2024 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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