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Special Issue "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?"

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A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2023 | Viewed by 3473

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Dr. Matteo Alessio Chiappedi

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Guest Editor

Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, ASST Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: child and adolescent neuropsychiatry; neurodevelopmental disorders; psychodynamic psychotherapy; treatments and outcomes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite there being a number of scientifically sound and relevant reasons to wait before considering the SARS-CoV-2 story finished, it is common to hear and read about a “post-COVID era”, which is supposed to be at its beginning.

Clearly, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was unexpected and represented something which showed all of the existing limitations of medicine, as well as its potential (vaccines being the symbol of the latter).

Children and adolescents were, in many ways, victims of this situation. To name just a few of the factors involved, parents and caregivers experienced hard times, both concretely and emotionally; children and adolescents had to obey “stay-at-home” orders, avoiding friends, sports, and leisure activities of all kinds and replacing them with solitary activities; schools were closed for long periods and distance learning was often not readily and sufficiently applied; the need to protect fragile and older people led to blame being assigned to children and adolescents who tried to live their lives to the best of their ability within existing limitations; and medical and psychological support was difficult to provide and to receive.

This Special Issue seeks to offer a forum to discuss what is needed and what measures should be taken for children and adolescents with psychological and psychiatric issues in the “post-COVID era”.

Dr. Matteo Alessio Chiappedi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

COVID-19
psychiatry
psychological sequelae
pandemic
neurodevelopmental disorders
family burden
post-COVID era

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychiatric Hospitalization for Psychopathological Disorders and Self-Injurious Behaviors in Italian Children and Adolescents during COVID-19

and

Children 2023, 10(12), 1846; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121846 - 24 Nov 2023

Viewed by 353

Abstract

The evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the number of urgent psychiatric consultations for children and adolescen for children and adolescentss in hospital emergency departments (EDs). However, what needs to be further investigated are the characteristics of psychiatric hospitalization in children and adolescents admitted to the Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit wards in EDs. Specifically, this retrospective study aimed to examine changes in (i) the number of inpatients and (ii) the distribution of psychopathological disorders and self-injurious behaviors in our Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit ward during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (March–June 2020; October 2020–January 2021) compared with the same months of previous years. We found a significantly lower number of inpatients during the first four quarantine months than the first four reference months and a higher number of inpatients during the second four quarantine months than the second four reference months. Additionally, we found an increased frequency of mood disorders, non-suicidal self-injurious behavior, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to the reference periods. Our findings underline the need to develop psychological healthcare services for future emergency periods in order to identify and treat psychological distress in children and adolescents early, reducing the risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?)

12 pages, 489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiphasic Personality Assessment in a Case Series of Adolescent Patients with Suicidal Ideation and/or Attempts

and The Mondino Foundation Suicidality Research Group

Children 2023, 10(11), 1794; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10111794 - 08 Nov 2023

Viewed by 597

Abstract

Suicide is an important public health issue. To examine the differences in personality characteristics between a group of adolescents with suicidal ideation (SI) and a group with a history of suicidal attempts (SA), we conducted a cross-sectional study. We enrolled 55 adolescents (51 females; 12–18 y.o.) who presented SI and/or SA. Using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, we divided the sample into two groups: adolescents with SI and adolescents with SA. All participants filled in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (MMPI-A). Adolescents in the SA group had greater difficulties in social relations, risky behaviors, and more intense suicidal ideation compared to those in the SI group. Adolescents in the SA group scored higher in Omission, in the Lie Scale, the Conduct Problem Scale, the Less Aspirations Scale, the Repression Scale in the MMPI-A, and item 283 of the MAST compared to the other group. The results suggest that using the MMPI-A to assess certain features (e.g., tendency to lie, repression) may be helpful in identifying young people who are at high risk of suicide. However, further research is required to determine the effectiveness of using this instrument. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?)

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15 pages, 270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Experiences of Australian School Mental Health Professionals during COVID-19 Lockdowns

and

Children 2023, 10(7), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071157 - 01 Jul 2023

Viewed by 717

Abstract

Young people have emerged as one of the most impacted groups from the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions to daily activities, with disruptions to schooling, social interactions, and connections. Simultaneously, students’ access to school mental health professionals were restricted or modified. The aim of this paper was to identify how school mental health professionals supported and addressed the mental health needs of young people during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia. School mental health professionals were surveyed during the 2020 lockdowns using a questionnaire designed by researchers in the United States of America. The innovations school mental health staff adopted to support students during lockdowns and remote learning were presented, including telehealth services, digital resources, and the online training and support they received/provided. The barriers and facilitators to providing counselling and assessment services during lockdowns were identified, including issues with providing psychometric assessments during remote learning, and ethical concerns when delivering remote counselling to students. Recommendations have been included, which address how school mental health professionals could be supported to assess and treat young people during future pandemics and school restrictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?)

15 pages, 351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

School Burnout after COVID-19, Prevalence and Role of Different Risk and Protective Factors in Preteen Students

and

Children 2023, 10(5), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050823 - 30 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1126

Abstract

Background: Current data show an increase in stress among youth since the COVID-19 pandemic, raising the question of the measures to be put in place to limit it. Aim: The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of burnout and the different risk and protective factors of burnout among students and to compare the mean scores obtained with those collected in a similar sample in 2014. Method: Perceived health, school burnout, and the different risk and protective factors among students were measured by self-reported questionnaires among a sample of 184 students (11–13 years old). Results: The results indicate significantly higher burnout scores than in 2014. Different variables were predictive of school burnout: 1. At the individual level, a low academic achievement in mathematics, somatic symptoms, and the expressed stress; 2. At the interpersonal level, lack of support from peers, teachers, and parents and a negative classroom climate; 3. At the pandemic level, the increased workload related to the consequences of COVID-19. The factors with the greatest impact are confidence in the future, perceived stress, parental supports, and mathematics results. Conclusions: An intervention program targeting these four factors among burned out students would be relevant to set up in order to reduce its prevalence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?)

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Special Issue "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Post-COVID Era?"

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