Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40273091›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Long-term neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological impact of the pandemic in Italian COVID-19 family clusters, including children and parents.

Costanza Di Chiara, Martina Ferrarese, Riccardo Boracchini, Anna Cantarutti, Anna Letizia Tibaldo, Chiara Stefanni, Daniele Donà, Marica De Pieri, Alessia Raffagnato, Benedetta Tascini and 4 more

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Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Costanza Di ChiaraDepartment for Women's and Child's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3586-0612
Martina FerrareseChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Riccardo BoracchiniDepartment of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Laboratory of Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0009-0002-8339-9485
Anna CantaruttiDepartment of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Laboratory of Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3700-780X
Anna Letizia TibaldoChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Chiara StefanniChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Daniele DonàDepartment for Women's and Child's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Marica De PieriDepartment for Women's and Child's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Alessia RaffagnatoChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Benedetta TasciniChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Marina MisciosciaChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Federica OcchinoChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Carlo GiaquintoDepartment for Women's and Child's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Michela GattaChild and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThis study investigated the long-term neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological impact of COVID-19 on children and their parents in households with COVID-19 exposure.

methodsA prospective cohort study was conducted on 46 families attending the COVID-19 Follow-up Clinic at the Department for Women's and Children's Health, Padua (Italy) from December 2021 to November 2022. Self-perceived stress-related, emotional-behavioral, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD-related) symptoms were assessed in both children and parents. Children with underlying neuropsychiatric conditions were excluded from the study.

resultsA total of 81 parents (median age = 38 years [IQR: 43-48], females = 44 [54.3%]), and 77 children (median age = 8 years [IQR: 5-11], females = 33 [42.9%]) participated in the study. Overall,125 (79%) and 33 (21%) participants were classified as COVID-19 cases and non-COVID-19 cases, respectively. The time interval between the COVID-19 family outbreak and the neuropsychiatric and psychological assessment was ≤4 months (median=3 months [IQR=0]) for 89 (56.3%) participants and >4 months for 69 (43.8%) (median=11.5 months [IQR=5-12]) participants. A total of 136 (86.1%) participants reported stress-related symptoms, with emotional stress being the most common. A positive correlation was observed between self-perceived stress-related symptoms in children and their parents within the same family (r=0.53, p=0.0005). Among children aged 6-18 years, 16 (37.2%) had clinical scores for internalizing symptoms at the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), while none children aged 1.5-5 years showed clinical score for internalizing symptoms. Similarly, total difficulty scores at the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ 4-17) and assessment of PTSD-related symptoms through the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) questionnaire were within non-clinical cut-offs in 45 (84.9%) and 43 (75.4%) children aged 3-12 years, respectively. The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) resulted in the non-clinical cut-off for 36 (92.3%) children aged 8-18 years. While a higher prevalence of self-perceived stress-related symptoms was found in COVID-19 cases compared to non-COVID-19 cases (p=.01), no differences were observed for emotional-behavioral and PTSD-related symptoms between the two groups.

conclusionsThis study documented the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian children and their family's stress levels. Further research is needed to confirm our findings and explore the long-term effects of the pandemic on families.

Indexed as

COVID-19ParentsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansItalyMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Stress, Psychological

Identifiers

PMID40273091
PMCPMC12021208

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