Peer-reviewed article
Isolation syndrome in children: Clinical and psychological aspects in the context of COVID-19
Ivanov M, Kotlyarov V, Kozlovskaya G, Kremneva L, Kalinina M et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study describes how COVID-19 lockdowns affected the mental health of 108 Russian children aged from early childhood to school age. Children with pre-existing mental disorders showed worsening psychological and psychosomatic symptoms during isolation, linked to excessive screen time and alarming media exposure. Interestingly, young typically developing children and some children with autism showed no deterioration or even improvement in symptoms, possibly due to increased family time and parental attention.
Key points
- Children with pre-existing mental disorders experienced increased psychological, neurotic and psychosomatic symptoms during lockdown
- Heavy use of electronic gadgets and exposure to alarming media information acted as risk factors for mental health deterioration
- Young typically developing children showed no pronounced negative changes in mental state during isolation
- Some children with autism spectrum disorder showed weakening of previously manifested deviations during lockdown
- Increased parental communication and attention appeared protective for some children's mental health
Limitations
This study is descriptive and observational, based on parental reports during counselling sessions rather than systematic clinical assessments or control groups. The findings cannot establish causation or be generalised beyond the sample of Russian children who sought counselling.
Abstract
Introduction In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, a lockdown was introduced everywhere in the Russian Federation, the main psychological feature of which is social deprivation - the deprivation or restriction of social habitual real interactions. Objectives Describe clinical and psychological manifestations in children in the context of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods During the period from June to September 2020, parents of 108 children of early, preschool and school age applied for advice. Children are divided into two groups: I -children with previously established mental disorders; II - children who have not previously been observed for developmental disorder by a psychiatrist. Results Parents of children applied for counselling with complaints of psychological, neurotic and psychosomatic symptoms that were present in children during the period of lockdown. It was found that the active use of electronic gadgets, an abundance of alarming information from the media, can cause disturbances in the family system and become an additional risk factor in the developmental disorders and an increase in the existing psychopathological symptoms in children. However, in young children with normative development and in some children with autism spectrum disorder, the phenomenon of social isolation did not reveal any pronounced changes in the mental state towards deterioration; on the contrary, in a number of cases there is a weakening of previously manifested deviations, apparently associated with increased communication with the loved ones and increased parental attention. Conclusions Clinical and psychological services should offer preventive support to the entire family. Disclosure No significant relationships.