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

• Published in: Journal of attention disorders 2022-02, Vol.26 (4), p.549-562
• Main Authors: Sciberras, Emma, Patel, Pooja, Stokes, Mark A., Coghill, David, Middeldorp, Christel M., Bellgrove, Mark A., Becker, Stephen P., Efron, Daryl, Stringaris, Argyris, Faraone, Stephen V., Bellows, Susannah T., Quach, Jon, Banaschewski, Tobias, McGillivray, Jane, Hutchinson, Delyse, Silk, Tim J., Melvin, Glenn, Wood, Amanda G., Jackson, Anna, Loram, George, Engel, Lidia, Montgomery, Alicia, Westrupp, Elizabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Australia - epidemiology; Child; COVID-19; Humans; Mental Health; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1087-0547; 1557-1246
• DOI: 10.1177/1087054720978549

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.