Behavioral Problems, Anxiety, and Depression in Deaf Children and adolescents of Mothers with and without Fatigue Symptoms in the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Covid-19 has caused many psychological problems, and deaf people are among the most vulnerable groups at the time of this outbreak. The aim of this study was behavioral problems, anxiety disorders, and depression in deaf children and adolescents of mothers with and without fatigue symptoms in the COVID-19 outbreak. The research method was causal-comparative. The statistical population of this study consisted of all mothers of deaf children and adolescents in Qazvin, Arak, and Malayer, Iran. In this study, 87 mothers participated in the study by convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the Revised Behavioral Problems Checklist, the Spence Children Anxiety Scale, and Level 2 - the Parent / Guardian Depression Scale. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the two groups. Results showed that the average of anxiety disorders (panic, separation anxiety, fear of physical injury, social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder) and depression in deaf offspring of mothers with and without fatigue symptoms was higher than in offspring of mothers without fatigue symptoms. But there was no significant difference between behavioral disorders in the two groups. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the role of maternal fatigue in anxiety disorders and depression in deaf children and adolescents should be considered and the necessary psychological strategies have to be used to reduce this problem.

Keywords

• anxiety disorders
• behavioral problems
• deaf children
• depression