Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40165036›Full record

Observational studyJournal of paediatrics and child health2025

Paediatric Emergency Department Mental Health and Behavioural Presentations in Australia Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Observational Study.

Jackson Newberry-Dupe, Glenn Melvin, Kylie King, Marietta John White, Vicki Anderson, Franz E Babl, Meredith L Borland, Stuart R Dalziel, Harriet Hiscock, Bruce J Tonge and 14 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of paediatrics and child health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Jackson Newberry-DupeCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7933-2133
Glenn MelvinSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kylie KingTurner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Marietta John WhitePaediatric Emergency Department, Monash Medical Centre, Emergency Service, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Vicki AndersonDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Franz E BablDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1107-2187
Meredith L BorlandPaediatric Emergency Department, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
Stuart R DalzielStarship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0522-9579
Harriet HiscockDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Bruce J TongeCentre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Paul BuntineEmergency Medicine Research Program, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia.
Brooke ChartersDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
Megan HamiltonEmergency Department, University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Amit KocharEmergency Consultant, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
Alastair MeyerDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Viet TranRoyal Hobart Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service, Hobart, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8890-1457
Emogene AldridgeEmergency Medicine Research Program, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia.
Giles BarringtonRoyal Hobart Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service, Hobart, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5130-7457
Liam HackettEmergency Medicine Research Program, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia.
Nicole LowryEmergency Department, University Hospital Geelong, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Joseph MillerEmergency Medicine Research Program, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1160-9837
Sebastian WrobelDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Box Hill Hospital, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia.
Rohan BorschmannCentre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Simon CraigPaediatric Emergency Department, Monash Medical Centre, Emergency Service, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund GNT1179137National Health and Medical Research CouncilRoyal Children's Hospital FoundationRoyal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation 20-205Suicide Prevention AustraliaVictorian Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesAlthough child and adolescent mental health and behavioural presentations to hospital emergency departments (EDs) increased during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), little is known about the characteristics of these presentations. We aimed to compare demographic, clinical and psychosocial profiles of paediatric presentations to Australian EDs before and after the onset of the pandemic.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective observational study of 100 randomly sampled presentations by children (6-11-year-olds) and adolescents (12-17-year-olds) to 10 Australian EDs between 1 January and 31 December 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and 1 January and 31 December 2021 (COVID-19). Using a multilevel factor model, we compared the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cohorts regarding demographic characteristics, diagnoses, precipitants, time-to-treatment, length of stay, and discharge disposition.

resultsThe COVID-19 period was characterised by increased presentations by adolescents and girls. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 cohort, the COVID-19 cohort experienced increased median waiting times (48 and 72 min, respectively), median length of ED stay (4.7 and 5.4 h), and likelihood of admissions to the ED short stay unit (9.5% and 12.9%). Patients in the COVID-19 cohort were more likely to present with self-harm and suicidal thoughts/behaviours, eating disorders, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders, and psychosocial stressors, and less likely to have diagnoses of disruptive behaviour, impulse control, and conduct disorders.

conclusionsYoung people presenting to the ED in 2021 for mental health reasons were more likely to wait longer, stay longer, have a diagnosis of intentional self-harm and/or a neurodevelopmental disorder, and report psychosocial stressors.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emergency Service, HospitalMental DisordersMental HealthAdolescentAustraliaChildFemaleHumansMalePandemicsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2adolescentAustraliaCOVID‐19emergency departmentlockdownmental healthpaediatric

Identifiers

PMID40165036
PMCPMC12128717

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.