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World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2022; 12(11): 1313-1322
Published online Nov 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i11.1313
Impacts of COVID-19 on children and adolescents: A systematic review analyzing its psychiatric effects
Italo Wanderson de Moura Gabriel, Danielly Gonçalves Sombra Lima, Jeully Pereira Pires, Nélio Barreto Vieira, Aloisio Antonio Gomes de Matos Brasil, Yara Talita Gomes Pereira, Erika Galvao de Oliveira, Hildson Leandro de Menezes, Nadia Nara Rolim Lima, Alberto Olavo Advíncula Reis, Ruan Neto Pereira Alves, Uanderson Pereira da Silva, Jucier Gonçalves Junior, Modesto Leite Rolim-Neto
Italo Wanderson de Moura Gabriel, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Juazeiro do Norte-FMJ/IDOMED, Juazeiro do Norte 63040-360, Ceara, Brazil
Danielly Gonçalves Sombra Lima, Nélio Barreto Vieira, Aloisio Antonio Gomes de Matos Brasil, Modesto Leite Rolim-Neto, School of Medicine, Federal University of Cariri, Barbalha 63048-080, Ceara, Brazil
Jeully Pereira Pires, Mais Médicos Program, Federal Government of Brazil-Ministry of Health, Iguatu 63048-080, Ceara, Brazil
Yara Talita Gomes Pereira, Julio Alves de Lira Hospital and Maternity Hospital, HALHM, Belo Jardim 55157-290, Pernambuco, Brazil
Erika Galvao de Oliveira, Nursing Department, Doctor Leão Sampaio University Center-UNILEAO, Juazeiro do Norte 63.041-140, Ceara, Brazil
Hildson Leandro de Menezes, Julio Alves de Lira Hospital and Maternity Hospital, JALHM, Belo Jardim 55157-290, Pernambuco, Brazil
Nadia Nara Rolim Lima, Graduate Program (Post-Doctoral) in Neuro-Psychiatry, UFPE, Recife 50670-901, Pernambuco, Brazil
Alberto Olavo Advíncula Reis, Postgraduate Program (Master’s and Doctorate) in Public Health, University of São Paulo-USP, São Paulo 01246-904, São Paulo, Brazil
Ruan Neto Pereira Alves, Uanderson Pereira da Silva, School of Education, USP, São Paulo 05508-040, São Paulo, Brazil
Jucier Gonçalves Junior, Internal Medicine-Division of Rheumathology at Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo University, São Paulo 01246-903, São Paulo, Brazil
Author contributions: Gabriel IWM, Lima DGS, Pires JP, Gonçalves Júnior J, Vieira NB, Brasil AAGM, Pereira YTG, and Rolim-Neto ML designed the review, developed the inclusion criteria, screened titles and abstracts, appraised the quality of included papers, and drafted the manuscript; Oliveira EG, Menezes HL, Lima NNR, Reis AOA, Alves RNP, Silva UPD and Rolim-Neto ML reviewed the study protocol and inclusion criteria and provided substantial input to the manuscript; Pires JP, Reis AOA, Gonçalves Júnior J, Lima NNR and Rolim-Neto ML reviewed the study protocol; Rolim-Neto ML read and screened articles for inclusion; all authors critically reviewed drafts and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jucier Gonçalves Júnior, MD, Academic Research, Internal Medicine-Division of Rheumathology at Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455 Cerqueira César Pacaembu-SP, São Paulo 01246-903, São Paulo, Brazil. juciergjunior@hotmail.com
Received: January 16, 2022
Peer-review started: January 16, 2022
First decision: April 18, 2022
Revised: April 28, 2022
Accepted: August 12, 2022
Article in press: August 12, 2022
Published online: November 19, 2022
Processing time: 304 Days and 23.6 Hours
Abstract
OBJECTIVE

To summarize the most relevant data from a systematic review on the impact of COVID-19 on children and adolescents, particularly analyzing its psychiatric effects.

METHODS

This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and included experimental studies (randomized-individually or pooled-and non-randomized controlled trials), observational studies with a group for internal comparison (cohort studies-prospective and retrospective-and case-control) and qualitative studies in the period from 2021 to 2022.

RESULTS

The search identified 325 articles; we removed 125 duplicates. We selected 200 manuscripts, chosen by title and selected abstracts. We excluded 50 records after screening titles and abstracts, as they did not meet the inclusion criteria. We retrieved 150 records selected for a full reading. We excluded 90 text articles and we selected 25 records for the (n) final. Limitations: Due to the short period of data collection, from 2021 to 2022, there is a possibility of lack of relevant studies related to the mental health care of children and adolescents. In addition, there is the possibility of publication bias, such as only significant findings being published.

CONCLUSION

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and adolescents is of great concern to child and youth psychiatry. Situations such as fear, anxiety, panic, depression, sleep and appetite disorders, as well as impairment in social interactions caused by psychic stress, are punctual markers of pain and psychic suffering, which have increasing impacts on the mental health panorama of children and adolescents globally, particularly in vulnerable and socially at-risk populations.

Keywords: Child psychiatry; Adolescent psychiatry; Mental health; COVID-19; Kids; Teens

Core Tip: Fear, anxiety, panic, depression, sleep, and appetite disorders, as well as impairment in social interactions caused by psychic stress are punctual markers of pain and psychic suffering, which have increasing impacts on the mental health panorama of children and adolescents in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.