Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves

Emerging studies across the globe are reporting the impact of COVID-19 and its related virus containment measures, such as school closures and social distancing, on the mental health presentations and service utilization of children and youth during the early stages of lockdowns in their respective...

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Autores principales: Shannon L. Stewart, Aadhiya S. Vasudeva, Jocelyn N. Van Dyke, Jeffrey W. Poss
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Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/7025e534030341c68b8db71936a47d30
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:7025e534030341c68b8db71936a47d302021-11-17T05:30:02ZFollowing the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves1664-064010.3389/fpsyt.2021.730915https://doaj.org/article/7025e534030341c68b8db71936a47d302021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.730915/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/1664-0640Emerging studies across the globe are reporting the impact of COVID-19 and its related virus containment measures, such as school closures and social distancing, on the mental health presentations and service utilization of children and youth during the early stages of lockdowns in their respective countries. However, there remains a need for studies which examine the impact of COVID-19 on children and youth's mental health needs and service utilization across multiple waves of the pandemic. The present study used data from 35,162 interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health (ChYMH) assessments across 53 participating mental health agencies in Ontario, Canada, to assess the mental health presentations and referral trends of children and youth across the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province. Wave 1 consisted of data from March to June 2020, with Wave 2 consisting of data from September 2020 to January 2021. Data from each wave were compared to each other and to the equivalent period one year prior. While assessment volumes declined during both pandemic waves, during the second wave, child and youth assessments in low-income neighborhoods declined more than those within high-income neighborhoods. There were changes in family stressors noted in both waves. Notably, the proportion of children exposed to domestic violence and recent parental stressors increased in both waves of the pandemic, whereas there were decreases noted in the proportion of parents expressing feelings of distress, anger, or depression and reporting recent family involvement with child protection services. When comparing the two waves, while depressive symptoms and recent self-injurious attempts were more prevalent in the second wave of the pandemic when compared to the first, a decrease was noted in the prevalence of disruptive/aggressive behaviors and risk of injury to others from Wave 1 to Wave 2. These findings highlight the multifaceted impact of multiple pandemic waves on children and youth's mental health needs and underscore the need for future research into factors impacting children and youth's access to mental health agencies during this time.Shannon L. StewartAadhiya S. VasudevaJocelyn N. Van DykeJeffrey W. PossFrontiers Media S.A.articleCOVID-19child and youthmental healthinterRAIassessmentreferralsPsychiatryRC435-571ENFrontiers in Psychiatry, Vol 12 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic COVID-19
child and youth
mental health
interRAI
assessment
referrals
Psychiatry
RC435-571
spellingShingle COVID-19
child and youth
mental health
interRAI
assessment
referrals
Psychiatry
RC435-571
Shannon L. Stewart
Aadhiya S. Vasudeva
Jocelyn N. Van Dyke
Jeffrey W. Poss
Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
description Emerging studies across the globe are reporting the impact of COVID-19 and its related virus containment measures, such as school closures and social distancing, on the mental health presentations and service utilization of children and youth during the early stages of lockdowns in their respective countries. However, there remains a need for studies which examine the impact of COVID-19 on children and youth's mental health needs and service utilization across multiple waves of the pandemic. The present study used data from 35,162 interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health (ChYMH) assessments across 53 participating mental health agencies in Ontario, Canada, to assess the mental health presentations and referral trends of children and youth across the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province. Wave 1 consisted of data from March to June 2020, with Wave 2 consisting of data from September 2020 to January 2021. Data from each wave were compared to each other and to the equivalent period one year prior. While assessment volumes declined during both pandemic waves, during the second wave, child and youth assessments in low-income neighborhoods declined more than those within high-income neighborhoods. There were changes in family stressors noted in both waves. Notably, the proportion of children exposed to domestic violence and recent parental stressors increased in both waves of the pandemic, whereas there were decreases noted in the proportion of parents expressing feelings of distress, anger, or depression and reporting recent family involvement with child protection services. When comparing the two waves, while depressive symptoms and recent self-injurious attempts were more prevalent in the second wave of the pandemic when compared to the first, a decrease was noted in the prevalence of disruptive/aggressive behaviors and risk of injury to others from Wave 1 to Wave 2. These findings highlight the multifaceted impact of multiple pandemic waves on children and youth's mental health needs and underscore the need for future research into factors impacting children and youth's access to mental health agencies during this time.
format article
author Shannon L. Stewart
Aadhiya S. Vasudeva
Jocelyn N. Van Dyke
Jeffrey W. Poss
author_facet Shannon L. Stewart
Aadhiya S. Vasudeva
Jocelyn N. Van Dyke
Jeffrey W. Poss
author_sort Shannon L. Stewart
title Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
title_short Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
title_full Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
title_fullStr Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
title_full_unstemmed Following the Epidemic Waves: Child and Youth Mental Health Assessments in Ontario Through Multiple Pandemic Waves
title_sort following the epidemic waves: child and youth mental health assessments in ontario through multiple pandemic waves
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/7025e534030341c68b8db71936a47d30
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