COVID-19 Pandemic and Depression

Garvita Thareja, Calina Hilyard, and Thalia Rodriguez

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted society in many ways. This article aims to understand how much these adverse effects of COVID-19 have affected children and adolescents aged 018. Research suggests fear, anxiety, higherstress levels, and depression have risen during this time for most people. However, to what extent are our children and youth impacted? This article investigates how the pandemic period has influenced depression rates among this demographic

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that depression diagnoses become more common as children age Depression is a mental health challenge that can lead to other high-risk behaviors such as suicide or self-harm. Research suggests that before the year 2019 (when the pandemic began), approximately 2.7 million children, ages 3-17 years, were diagnosed with depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nd) Since the pandemic, one in six children have reported showing daily to weekly symptoms of depression (Zablotsky et al., 2022). Therefore, understanding the relationship between COVID-19 and children and adolescents' mental health is essential to help decrease rates of depression in this population (NSSI) (Thompson, 2008).

For this research, a systematic review was conducted through scientific databases to review the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and adolescents (18 years or younger) This search used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) Through this analysis, articles including similar variables when analyzing the relationship between COVID-19 and children and adolescents' mental health were utilized. Inclusion criteria and key terms were used such as mental health, mental illness, illnesses, stress, suicides, COVID-19, and pandemic to further narrow our search.

The database search resulted in 64 articles eligible for evaluation Of these articles, 12 were eligible for utilization All of the 12 articles were conclusive and each displayed evidence of COVID-19’s impact on depression in children and adolescents 18 years of age and younger. These studies reported environmental factors impacting children and adolescents including lockdown (Nearchou et al., 2020), lack of socialization (Śniadach et al., 2021), financial stresses (Adegboye et al., 2021), and increased social media usage (Listernick & Badawy, 2021).

Our research analysis displays the importance of continuing research on the relationship between COVID-19 and children and adolescents Currently, this research is limited and therefore needs to continue Additional research will help determine preventable measures against depression risks and other mental health challenges associated with depression As the United States moves further into a post-pandemic era, understanding the relationship between COVID-19 and children and adolescents will aid in the support efforts of this population.

To combat the impacts of mental health on children and improve those already impacted, education systems will need to consider the depression levels of their students. This will require educators to reassess learning tools used For example, educators may consider reduced use of screen time in the classroom to combat the overuse of technology during the lockdown and virtual learning Children and adolescents' long-term depression will need to be monitored moving forward These initiatives will need to be a combined effort with parents of these populations. Parents will need to be cognizant of their children’s stress levels and how their perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic are perceived by their children. Screening tools can be implemented, such as Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17) or the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), and they should be required to be used during check-ups to gather data and ensure children exhibiting depression symptoms receive proper intervention and treatment (Listernick & Badawy, 2021) A greater understanding of this relationship will also allow for better preparation and minimization of the mental health consequences of future outbreaks like COVID-19