Children's Attention and Self-Regulatory Behavior Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Radhika S Raghunathan, Rashelle J Musci, Kristin M Voegtline and 2 others
PMID 34636362WHAT IT FOUND
Parents reported modest declines in children's attention, task engagement, and impulse control during the pandemic.
Families facing four or more disruptions saw specific drops in waiting their turn. These changes were not linked to child demographics or pre-existing parent depression.
Key findings
01Children showed poorer concentration, attention, task engagement, and persistence, along with greater impulsivity during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic ratings.
02Children in households with four or more pandemic-related disruptions had a significant decrease in their ability to wait their turn, whereas those in less disrupted households showed no change.
03Children without a pre-existing ADHD diagnosis showed a decrease in attention during the pandemic, while those with ADHD did not show a significant change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (n=45), which limited the ability to detect certain associations, particularly involving ADHD or parent mental health. Self-regulation was measured using parent report (POCA), which may be influenced by the parent's own stress or perceptions. The assessment focused on externalizing behaviors; internalizing issues like anxiety or depression were not measured. Data were collected early in the pandemic (April-August 2020), so behaviors may have shifted over time. The sample over-represents Black and socioeconomically marginalized families, limiting generalizability to other populations. Most children were not in in-person school, so results may not apply to those who remained in physical classrooms.
Declared interests
The authors have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of change in children with ADHD as evidence that they were unaffected. The sample of children with ADHD was very small (n=7), and the authors note that existing supports may have buffered these children, or the study lacked power to detect changes in this subgroup.