Changes in Psychological Distress in Children With Physical Illness and Their Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Melissa Elgie, Christy K Y Chan, Chloe Bedard and 1 others
PMID 40387373WHAT IT FOUND
Parents reported more distress in themselves and their children with chronic physical illness during the pandemic.
Parent distress rose then eased but stayed above pre-pandemic levels; child distress kept rising.
Key findings
01Parent distress rose during the third wave, then fell during the seventh wave but stayed above pre-pandemic levels.
02Parent-reported child distress increased from pre-pandemic to 2022.
03Higher initial child distress was associated with older child age, greater disability, and higher household income.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Parents recalled distress from before the pandemic after the pandemic had begun, so the starting level may be inaccurate. The study had no comparison group of children without chronic physical illness, so changes cannot be separated from broader pandemic trends. Child distress was reported by parents, not by children. The sample was English-speaking and came from outpatient clinics at a paediatric hospital in Ontario. The study is observational, so associations do not show cause.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Mark Ferro is an Associate Editor for Child: Care, Health and Development.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the pandemic caused these distress increases. The study had no comparison group, used retrospective pre-pandemic reports, and child distress was reported by parents rather than children.