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Physical Health, Media Use, and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents With ADHD During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

  • Emma Sciberras
  • , Pooja Patel
  • , Mark A Stokes
  • , David Coghill
  • , Christel M Middeldorp
  • , Mark A Bellgrove
  • , Stephen P Becker
  • , Daryl Efron
  • , Argyris Stringaris
  • , Stephen V Faraone
  • , Susannah T Bellows
  • , Jon Quach
  • , Tobias Banaschewski
  • , Jane McGillivray
  • , Delyse Hutchinson
  • , Tim J Silk
  • , Glenn Melvin
  • , Amanda G Wood
  • , Anna Jackson
  • , George Loram
    • Lidia Engel, Alicia Montgomery, Elizabeth Westrupp
  • Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
  • Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
  • Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology , Geelong, VIC , Australia
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
  • Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.; Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
  • Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA.; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH, USA.
  • National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
  • State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
  • Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Germany.
  • Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
  • Aston Pharmacy School, Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. [email protected].
  • Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

112   Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
27 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: To examine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Parents of 213 Australian children (5–17 years) with ADHD completed a survey in May 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place (i.e., requiring citizens to stay at home except for essential reasons). Results: Compared to pre-pandemic, children had less exercise (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.4; 95% CI 0.3–0.6), less outdoor time (OR = 0.4; 95% 0.3–0.6), and less enjoyment in activities (OR = 6.5; 95% CI 4.0–10.4), while television (OR = 4.0; 95% CI 2.5–6.5), social media (OR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.3–4.5), gaming (OR = 2.0; 95% CI 1.3–3.0), sad/depressed mood (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.2–2.8), and loneliness (OR = 3.6; 95% CI 2.3–5.5) were increased. Child stress about COVID-19 restrictions was associated with poorer functioning across most domains. Most parents (64%) reported positive changes for their child including more family time. Conclusions: COVID-19 restrictions were associated with both negative and positive impacts among children with ADHD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)549-562
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Attention Disorders
Volume26
Issue number4
Early online date17 Dec 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • COVID-19
  • psychological well-being

Access to Document

  • Physical Health, Media Use, and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents

    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

    Final published version, 265 KBLicence: CC BY 3.0

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