Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35194802›Full record

ArticleJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2022

Longitudinal trajectories of mental health and loneliness for Australian adolescents with-or-without neurodevelopmental disorders: the impact of COVID-19 school lockdowns.

Stephen Houghton, Michael Kyron, David Lawrence, Simon Charles Hunter, John Hattie, Annemaree Carroll, Corinne Zadow, Wai Chen

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
8.1field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Stephen HoughtonGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Michael KyronGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
David LawrenceGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Simon Charles HunterGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
John HattieGraduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Annemaree CarrollSchool of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Corinne ZadowGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Wai ChenGraduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
University of Western Australia · AUGlasgow Caledonian University · GBUniversity of Queensland · AUVictorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority · AU

Funding

The Australian Research Council DP180100252
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe impact of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic school lockdowns on the mental health problems and feelings of loneliness of adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) is hypothesized to be greater than that of their non-NDD peers. This two and a half year longitudinal study compared changes in the mental health and loneliness of Western Australian adolescents pre-COVID-19 (November 2018 and April 2019), immediately prior to COVID-19 school lockdowns (March 2020), and post schools reopening (July/August 2020).

methodsAn age-and-gender matched sample of 476 adolescents with-or-without NDDs completed online assessments for mental health and loneliness.

resultsAdolescents with NDDs reported elevated levels of adverse mental health across all four waves of data collection. These young people experienced little change in mental health problems and feelings of loneliness over time, and any increase during school lockdowns returned to, or fell below pre-COVID-19 levels once schools reopened. In comparison, adolescents without NDDs experienced significant increases from a low baseline in depression symptoms, externalizing symptoms, feelings of isolation, and having a positive attitude to being alone, and evidenced a significant decline in positive mental wellbeing. Quality of friendships were unaffected by COVID-19 school lockdowns for all adolescents regardless of NDD status. Of the adolescents with NDDs, those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder reported a significant increase in positive mental wellbeing following school lockdowns.

conclusionsAdolescents with NDDs emerged relatively unscathed from COVID-19 school lockdowns and the short term impacts associated with these were not maintained over time. These findings should be considered in the context of this study's geographical location and the unpredictability of school lockdowns. Learning to live with school lockdowns into the future may be a critical element for further investigation in the context of interventions.

Indexed as

COVID-19Neurodevelopmental DisordersAdolescentAustraliaChild, PreschoolCommunicable Disease ControlHumansLonelinessLongitudinal StudiesMental HealthSARS-CoV-2SchoolsadolescentsCoronaviruslonelinesslongitudinalmental healthneurodevelopmental disorders

Identifiers

PMID35194802
PMCPMC9790479
OpenAlexW4213420601

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.