Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study

<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. It rapidly spread due to human-to-human transmission, resulting in a global pandemic. Nearly every country,...

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Main Author: Abduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382) (author)
Other Authors: Hamda Qotba (12794976) (author), Alyaa Al-Maadeed (16888845) (author), Sadriya Al-Kohji (18055385) (author), Hanan Al Mujalli (11079720) (author), Atif Ali (5613374) (author), Lolwa Al Mannai (18060390) (author), Aisha Aladab (17269201) (author), Hamda AlSaadi (18060392) (author), Khalid Ali AlKarbi (18060397) (author), Tholfakhar Al-Baghdadi (18060398) (author)
Published: 2021
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_version_ 1864513526054256640
author Abduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382)
author2 Hamda Qotba (12794976)
Alyaa Al-Maadeed (16888845)
Sadriya Al-Kohji (18055385)
Hanan Al Mujalli (11079720)
Atif Ali (5613374)
Lolwa Al Mannai (18060390)
Aisha Aladab (17269201)
Hamda AlSaadi (18060392)
Khalid Ali AlKarbi (18060397)
Tholfakhar Al-Baghdadi (18060398)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Abduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382)
Hamda Qotba (12794976)
Alyaa Al-Maadeed (16888845)
Sadriya Al-Kohji (18055385)
Hanan Al Mujalli (11079720)
Atif Ali (5613374)
Lolwa Al Mannai (18060390)
Aisha Aladab (17269201)
Hamda AlSaadi (18060392)
Khalid Ali AlKarbi (18060397)
Tholfakhar Al-Baghdadi (18060398)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Abduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382)
Hamda Qotba (12794976)
Alyaa Al-Maadeed (16888845)
Sadriya Al-Kohji (18055385)
Hanan Al Mujalli (11079720)
Atif Ali (5613374)
Lolwa Al Mannai (18060390)
Aisha Aladab (17269201)
Hamda AlSaadi (18060392)
Khalid Ali AlKarbi (18060397)
Tholfakhar Al-Baghdadi (18060398)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021-04-27T06:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.2196/24760
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Psychological_and_Coping_Strategies_Related_to_Home_Isolation_and_Social_Distancing_in_Children_and_Adolescents_During_the_COVID-19_Pandemic_Cross-sectional_Study/25289203
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Health sciences
Public health
Psychology
Social and personality psychology
COVID-19
coronavirus
pandemic
psychological
coping strategies
children
adolescents
Qatar
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. It rapidly spread due to human-to-human transmission, resulting in a global pandemic. Nearly every country, including Qatar, has established guidelines and regulations to limit the virus's spread and preserve public health. However, these procedures have been associated with negative effects on the psychological and intellectual well-being of individuals, including children and adolescents.</p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">The objective of this study was to determine the psychological influence of home isolation and social distancing on children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar, and the strategies used to cope with these measures.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire administered through SMS text messaging. All home-isolated children and adolescents registered at the Primary Health Care Corporation aged 7-18 years were invited to participate in the study. Children and adolescents with intellectual disadvantages were excluded. A <i>P</i> value of .05 (two-tailed) was considered statistically significant.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Data were collected from 6608 participants from June 23 to July 18, 2020. Nearly all participants adhered to the official regulations during the period of home isolation and social distancing; however, 69.1% (n=4568) of parents believed their children were vulnerable to the virus compared to 25% (n=1652) who expressed they were not vulnerable at all. Higher levels of anger, depression, and general anxiety were prevalent among 1.3% (n=84), 3.9% (n=260), and 1.6% (n=104) of participants, respectively. The mean score for the emotional constructs anger and depression decreased with increased compliance with regulations (<i>P</i>=.04 and <i>P</i>=.11, respectively). The differences in mean scores for all psychological and coping strategies used among participants across the 3 levels of vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 were statistically significant. The mean score varied little with increasing reported vulnerability to the virus. This mild variation can make a difference when the sample size is large, as in this study.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p dir="ltr">Screening for psychological and social disruptions is important for developing strategies by schools and health care providers to assess and monitor behavioral changes and negative psychological impacts during post–COVID–19 reintegration. Participants experiencing higher levels of anxiety should be given more attention during reintegration and transitional phases in schools. Although electronic devices and social media platforms may have lowered anxiety levels in some cases, it is important to address how they are used and how content is tailored to children and adolescents. It is also important to maintain an active lifestyle for children and young persons, and encourage them not to neglect their physical health, as this promotes a better psychological state of mind.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: JMIR Formative Research<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24760" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24760</a></p>
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identifier_str_mv 10.2196/24760
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/25289203
publishDate 2021
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional StudyAbduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382)Hamda Qotba (12794976)Alyaa Al-Maadeed (16888845)Sadriya Al-Kohji (18055385)Hanan Al Mujalli (11079720)Atif Ali (5613374)Lolwa Al Mannai (18060390)Aisha Aladab (17269201)Hamda AlSaadi (18060392)Khalid Ali AlKarbi (18060397)Tholfakhar Al-Baghdadi (18060398)Health sciencesPublic healthPsychologySocial and personality psychologyCOVID-19coronaviruspandemicpsychologicalcoping strategieschildrenadolescentsQatar<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. It rapidly spread due to human-to-human transmission, resulting in a global pandemic. Nearly every country, including Qatar, has established guidelines and regulations to limit the virus's spread and preserve public health. However, these procedures have been associated with negative effects on the psychological and intellectual well-being of individuals, including children and adolescents.</p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">The objective of this study was to determine the psychological influence of home isolation and social distancing on children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar, and the strategies used to cope with these measures.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire administered through SMS text messaging. All home-isolated children and adolescents registered at the Primary Health Care Corporation aged 7-18 years were invited to participate in the study. Children and adolescents with intellectual disadvantages were excluded. A <i>P</i> value of .05 (two-tailed) was considered statistically significant.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Data were collected from 6608 participants from June 23 to July 18, 2020. Nearly all participants adhered to the official regulations during the period of home isolation and social distancing; however, 69.1% (n=4568) of parents believed their children were vulnerable to the virus compared to 25% (n=1652) who expressed they were not vulnerable at all. Higher levels of anger, depression, and general anxiety were prevalent among 1.3% (n=84), 3.9% (n=260), and 1.6% (n=104) of participants, respectively. The mean score for the emotional constructs anger and depression decreased with increased compliance with regulations (<i>P</i>=.04 and <i>P</i>=.11, respectively). The differences in mean scores for all psychological and coping strategies used among participants across the 3 levels of vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 were statistically significant. The mean score varied little with increasing reported vulnerability to the virus. This mild variation can make a difference when the sample size is large, as in this study.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p dir="ltr">Screening for psychological and social disruptions is important for developing strategies by schools and health care providers to assess and monitor behavioral changes and negative psychological impacts during post–COVID–19 reintegration. Participants experiencing higher levels of anxiety should be given more attention during reintegration and transitional phases in schools. Although electronic devices and social media platforms may have lowered anxiety levels in some cases, it is important to address how they are used and how content is tailored to children and adolescents. It is also important to maintain an active lifestyle for children and young persons, and encourage them not to neglect their physical health, as this promotes a better psychological state of mind.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: JMIR Formative Research<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24760" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24760</a></p>2021-04-27T06:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.2196/24760https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Psychological_and_Coping_Strategies_Related_to_Home_Isolation_and_Social_Distancing_in_Children_and_Adolescents_During_the_COVID-19_Pandemic_Cross-sectional_Study/25289203CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/252892032021-04-27T06:00:00Z
spellingShingle Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
Abduljaleel Abdullatif Zainel (18055382)
Health sciences
Public health
Psychology
Social and personality psychology
COVID-19
coronavirus
pandemic
psychological
coping strategies
children
adolescents
Qatar
status_str publishedVersion
title Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
title_full Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
title_fullStr Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
title_short Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
title_sort Psychological and Coping Strategies Related to Home Isolation and Social Distancing in Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
topic Health sciences
Public health
Psychology
Social and personality psychology
COVID-19
coronavirus
pandemic
psychological
coping strategies
children
adolescents
Qatar