Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42416666›Full record

ArticleJCPP advances2026

Longitudinal associations between play experiences and trajectories of preschoolers' mental health from April-July, 2020.

Helen F Dodd, Ella Patterson, Simona Skripkauskaite, Peter J Lawrence

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCPP advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

4 authors.

Helen F DoddChildren and Young People's Mental Health Research Collaboration (ChYMe) Exeter Medical School University of Exeter Exeter UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-5338
Ella PattersonOxford Health NHS Trust Oxford UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7046-8958
Simona SkripkauskaiteDepartment of Psychiatry University of Oxford Oxford UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7501-4111
Peter J LawrenceSchool of Psychology University of Southampton Southampton UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6181-433X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Play provides an important foundation for a healthy childhood but longitudinal data exploring how play experiences relate to children's mental health over time is scarce. In this study, data on preschool-aged children's activities and mental health during Covid-19 related restrictions was used to explore how Methods: UK based parents/carers ( Results: Both inside and outside play was associated with less severe internalising problems (beta = -0.23 [SE = 0.10]; beta -0.54 [SE = 0.19]) and, in statistical interaction with time, less time playing inside was associated with a stronger improvement in externalising problems over time (beta = 0.77 [SE = 0.23]). Further, more time playing with other children was associated with less severe internalising problems (beta = -0.50 [SE = 0.13]) whereas playing alone was associated with more severe internalising problems (beta = 0.28 [SE = 0.10]). Conclusion: Varied play opportunities are related to young children's mental health. Even during a pandemic response, children should be given opportunity to play with other children and play outdoors wherever possible.

Indexed as

contact with natureCOVID‐19mental healthphysical activityplaypreschoolersUnited Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID42416666
PMCPMC13339685

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.