Subproject D: The role of chronic health conditions in the psychosocial burden on schoolchildren and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic

Project period: 01.07.2021 - 31.12.2021

This project was part of the ikidS II project; no separate study protocol was prepared.

You can find the questionnaire used for this study (in German) here(PDF 2,5 MB).

The final report on the project (in German) can be accessed here(PDF 2,1 MB).

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions on children with chronic health conditions (CHC) and their families. In a quantitative subproject, a parent questionnaire was used within an established cohort to investigate the pandemic-related psychosocial stress experienced by schoolchildren and their families as well as the health status, the social and educational participation, and the use of health care and support measures by schoolchildren with and without CHC. In a qualitative subproject, telephone interviews were conducted with parents of children with CHC from the cohort. These interviews assessed the psychosocial burden on the children and their parents, as well as the support options available to them during the pandemic, their experiences with healthcare providers and their children’s schools, and their unmet needs.

The findings of the quantitative subproject show that, during the pandemic, the psychosocial burden was higher for families with children suffering from chronic diseases than for families with healthy children. However, the differences in the prevalence of mental health problems between children with CHC and healthy children remained largely unchanged from the pre-pandemic period to the pandemic period. The same applied to the children’s health status and their social participation. The majority of children and families in both groups made full use of required medical, psychological and therapeutic care, as well as social support measures. Telemedicine services, on the other hand, were used relatively little. With regard to school participation during the pandemic measures, there were only minor differences between children with and without CHC. We found no evidence to suggest that pre-existing differences between the two groups of children had increased compared with pre-pandemic times. However, the established cohort used for the study was no longer fully representative of the underlying population, but was more education- and health-oriented. The relatively minor pandemic effects observed can therefore only be transferred to socially disadvantaged groups to a limited extent.

In the qualitative subproject, the interview participants most frequently reported psychological burdens for both children with CHC and their parents. For many children, increased psychological symptoms, more frequent family conflicts and social withdrawal were reported. The parents in our sample frequently expressed a desire for more support. In particular, reliable care services and sufficient therapy places for children and adolescents were mentioned as unmet needs.

The findings suggest that, in the context of future pandemics, greater attention should be paid to the psychosocial situation and needs of children with CHC and their families. Additional telemedicine services for children and adolescents might be promoted more actively to this end.

Funding

Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)

Contact

Prof. Dr. Michael S. Urschitz, EU-MSc. (Principal investigator)
E-Mail: urschitz@uni-mainz.de