COVID-19 Induced Environments, Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes and Problematic Behaviors: Evidence from Children with Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Corneliu Bolbocean, Kayla B Rhidenour, Maria McCormack and 2 others
PMID 35672615WHAT IT FOUND
In children with syndromic autism, caregiver reports linked lower child quality of life to reduced parent mental health appointments and TV at least 3 hours daily.
Outdoor time was linked to fewer angry outbursts and daze, but not clearly to total quality of life.
Key findings
01Caregiver reports that COVID-19 reduced their own mental health appointments were associated with child total quality of life scores 14.5 points lower and psychosocial scores 21.25 points lower on a 0-100 scale.
02Caregiver reports that a child watched TV at least 3 hours per day were associated with child total quality of life scores 13.76 points lower and psychosocial scores 12.88 points lower on a 0-100 scale.
03Caregiver reports that a child spent more than 2 hours outdoors each day were associated with a total quality of life score 6.63 points higher, but the reported range included no difference, and with lower reports of angry outbursts and daze.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it measured children’s outcomes and pandemic environments at one time period and cannot show that any factor caused better or worse outcomes. Caregivers reported the children’s quality of life, and the paper notes caregiver reports may underestimate children’s own quality of life. The COVID-19 exposure questions were not fully validated when the data were collected. Participants were recruited through syndrome foundations and needed English and internet access, so the sample may not represent all children with these syndromes. Genetic diagnoses were not confirmed in each participant. The sample was not diverse in race, ethnicity, or family make-up, so results may not generalize to more diverse families. Participation was not random, and the authors state the empirical relationships are not necessarily causal. The early versus late comparisons were based on response date, not repeated measurements in the same child, and the September 5 analysis did not adjust for diagnosis. The matched early versus late analysis was limited to 65 pairs of children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome because of small sample sizes.
Declared interests
The paper names the Robbins Foundation and Mr. Charif Souki as funders.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that outdoor time or less TV caused better child quality of life or fewer behavior problems. This was a caregiver survey of associations, and the authors state the relationships are not necessarily causal.