The Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Countless changes were necessary to overcome the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-19) since its dissemination. Measures such as physical and social distancing, constant antisepsis surveillance, urgency in checking tasks and the possibility of imminent infection were the pillars of this virus control strategy, and as a consequence, the impacts on the psychosocial development among children and adults teenagers. Psychopathological symptoms found in post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression disorders have become predominant, with such losses being even more reinforced among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective: To analyze behavioral changes among children and adolescents previously diagnosed with ADHD, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a multidisciplinary children's clinic in the city of Maceió, in Alagoas, Brazil. METHODOLOGY: This is a prospective cohort descriptive quantitative research, carried out in a population of 40 participants, with a sample of 35 responses from parents or legal guardians of children with ADHD. Two questionnaires were carried out to assess anxiety, depression and sleep parameters, one during the quarantine period and the other after the restrictive measures of social isolation. Results: The sample had a higher prevalence among male children, with 74.3%. Of the new behaviors presented daily during the period of social distancing, irritability prevailed with 62.9%, followed by agitation, with 42.9%. In the post-quarantine period, the daily presence of these symptoms dropped to 14.3% and 17.1%, respectively. As for the reported feelings, sadness represented 45.7% of the sample, with a frequency of 1 to 2 times a week, during the quarantine period. After the return of face-to-face activities, there was an increase to 48.6%. Regarding sleep, at the peak of the pandemic, 54.3% of children showed anxiety and objection behavior at bedtime and 31.4% stated initial insomnia “every day”. With the end of social restriction, only 4% reported difficulty sleeping. Conclusion: The effects of the pandemic are perceived even more sensitively among children with ADHD. The work gathered scientific knowledge about mental health and emergency care for these children. Therefore, immediate efforts must be employed, at all levels and in the most diverse areas of knowledge, in order to minimize even more negative results in the mental health of children with ADHD in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.