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

  • Emma Sciberras (Lead / Corresponding author)
  • , 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

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    108 Citations (Scopus)
    192 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

    Keywords

    • ADHD
    • COVID-19
    • psychological well-being

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Clinical Psychology
    • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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