Psychological impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on children, adolescents and family

Abstract

Background: research on the impact that preventive social isolation due to COVID-19 will have on children and adolescents is still insufficient.Objective: to characterize aspects of the psychological impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on children, adolescents and family, from March through June 2020, at the “Jimmy Hirzel” Polyclinic of Bayamo, Granma.Methods: a cross-sectional descriptive and observational study was carried out with a sample of 47 children and adolescents, as well as their parents, all belonging to the aforementioned health district. They were interviewed and the family was given a coping interview and the FF-SIL test.Results: the highest psychological repercussion was found in children from 5 to 9 years old (48,8 %), without significant differences regarding sex; with a history of psychiatric disorders and follow-up by the specialty, with a predominance of attention deficit disorder and neurotic disorders. Anxiety (12,7 %) was the most frequent psychological manifestation at one month, while at three months were motor and verbal hyperactivity (48,8 %), fear of death (46,8 %) and somatization anxiety (44,6 %). Regarding the family, the result was related to alterations in its dynamics, with a predominance of manifestations of anxiety and fear (both with 57,4 %) and depression (38,2 %), especially in mothers.Conclusions: aspects of the psychological impact of social isolation due to COVID-19 on children, adolescents and the family were characterized.

Keywords

• coronavirus
• sars-cov-2
• covid-19
• mental health
• psychological impact
• anxiety
• depression