Risk Factors for Mental Health Problems in Children and Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

All Canadian children have been impacted by the restrictions employed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Whilst the impact has been universal, preliminary research suggests that the pandemic's consequences, specifically on mental health, have not been uniform (Cost et al., 2021). The goal of this dissertation is to examine what risk factors made children more vulnerable to mental health problems during the pandemic. Utilizing the Life Course Framework as a guide, two longitudinal research studies investigate the impact of individual and cumulative risk factors on mental health trajectories during the pandemic. Chapter 1 is an overview of the pandemic in Canada and a review of the background literature on risk factors for mental health problems in children and youth, specifically looking at current research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and wellbeing. Study 1 (Chapter 2) tracks a cohort of kindergarten students' symptoms of anxiety and depression over two years during the pandemic, throughout school shutdowns and mandatory lockdowns. Pre-pandemic academic, attention and demographic variables are assessed as potential risk factors for increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results suggested no overall increases in depression or anxiety across the two years of the pandemic, while higher attention symptoms prior to the pandemic did significantly predict increases in anxiety across the later time points in the pandemic. Study 2 (Chapter 3), again, tracks symptoms of anxiety and depression in a Canada-wide sample of children and youth. Analyses of relative importance identified baseline anxiety and depression symptoms, positive learning behaviours, familial income, school modality, and parental COVID-19 stress as the key risk factors contributing to increased vulnerability to mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during the pandemic. Finally, Chapter 4 integrates the overall findings from each chapter and discusses the implications for practice and research. Specifically, how the current studies can inform public health and education officials on the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent school and societal restrictions on children's mental health and wellbeing. Building on this understanding can help inform interventions and supports for the children and adolescents whom the pandemic and its restrictions have most impacted and help inform decision-making for future large-scale disasters or traumatic events.