A structured daily schedule, screen time can promote youth mental health during pandemic

There are a number of simple and practical steps families can take; including reducing screen time and information consumption, having a structured daily schedule and getting enough sleep; that can promote resilience to mental health issues in young people during COVID-19. pandemic, according to a new study published this week in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Maya Rosen of Harvard University, United States, and her colleagues.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to the lives of children and adolescents. Many of these disruptions, coupled with pandemic stressors, have the potential to increase the risk of depression, anxiety and behavioral problems in young people.

In the new study, researchers recruited participants from two ongoing longitudinal studies of children and adolescents in the greater Seattle area. 224 young people and their caregivers completed an initial questionnaire assessing social behaviors, psychopathology and stressors linked to the pandemic in April and May 2020; 184 of these young people and their caregivers carried out a similar battery of assessments six months later, from November 2020 to January 2021. Since data on each young person was available before the pandemic, the results at each point in time could be monitored for pre-pandemic symptoms. . The youth were aged 7 to 15, were 47.8% female, and their racial and ethnic background mirrored that of Seattle, with 66% of the participants white, 11% black, 11% Asian, and 8% Hispanic or Latino.

The number of pandemic stressors was strongly associated with an increase in internalizing (β = 0.345, p <0.001) and externalizing (β = 0.297, p <0.001) symptoms during the pandemic after symptom control prepandemic. At the start of the pandemic, young people who spent less time on digital devices (β = 0.272, p = 0.004) as well as those who consumed less than 2 hours of news per day (β = 0.193, p = 0.010) had a Weaker internalizing symptoms, while longer time spent in nature was marginally associated with weaker internalizing symptoms (β = -0.124, p = 0.074). Obtaining the recommended amount of sleep (β ​​= 0, -0.158, p = 0.080) and having a more structured daily routine during stay-at-home orders (β = -0.164, p = 0.049) were associated with lower levels of externalizing psychopathology six months later. Finally, the strong association between stressors linked to the pandemic and psychopathology was absent in children with less screen time and consumption of news media. The authors write that the study identifies a set of strategies that may benefit families when considering how to support their children's mental health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The authors add: “Mental health issues have increased dramatically among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among those who experienced high levels of pandemic-related stressors, including severe illness or death from a family member, significant financial losses and social isolation. A number of simple strategies families engaged in appeared to promote better mental health during the pandemic, including having a structured daily routine, limiting passive use of screen time, limiting exposure to news media on the pandemic and, to a lesser extent, spending more time in nature, and getting the recommended amount of sleep. “