Abstract
We aimed to evaluate stress level reactions to depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress in paediatric patients' post-COVID-19 infection. A total of two hundred consecutive patients aged 8 to 18 years were prospectively enrolled in the study between March 2020 and June 2021. One hundred patients were diagnosed with a positive COVID-PCR test and had inpatient management. Another hundred patients had positive COVID-PCR results and completed their care and isolation for 14 days at home. We used the child posttraumatic stress reaction index (CPTS-RI), child depression inventory (CDI), and screen for child anxiety-related disorders (SCARED) to evaluate their post-COVID-19 infection mental health state. In the study population, the mean age was 13.4 years, and 50.5% were male. Sixty-seven patients were paediatric, and the rest were adolescents. Based on our scaling system, 10% of patients had depression. Forty-one percent of patients had at least one high subscale of SCARED. Forty-four percent of patients' CPTS-RI was above the normal limit, while 4% had a severe stress reaction level. In the female patient population, SCARED and CPTS-RI were significantly high (p = 0.01). There was no significant correlation between hospitalization duration and test scores. The CPTS-RI score was significantly higher in the outpatient group than in the other groups (p = 0.01). The inpatient group had significantly higher social phobia, while the outpatient group had significantly higher school phobia (p = 0.01 and p = 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that COVID-19 infection is a significant risk factor for psychopathology in children and adolescents. WHAT IS KNOWN: • COVID-19 causes multiple physical complications in the body along with significant harmful physiologic mental health effects. After being diagnosed with COVID-19, paediatric and adolescent patients have been engaging in social isolation. • Shutdowns, school closings, minimizing social interaction, and isolating behaviour are some of the measures used to control the pandemic. For kids to develop into healthy individuals, they need social interaction and a safe environment. WHAT IS NEW: • The present study showed that COVID-19 infection is a significant risk factor for childhood and adolescent psychopathology. Based on our scaling system, 10% of patients had depression. Forty-four percent of patients' CPTS-RI was above the normal limit, while 4% had a severe stress reaction level. In the female patient population, SCARED and CPTS-RI were significantly high. • These patients need to be evaluated and monitored by paediatric and adolescent psychiatry clinics simultaneously with paediatric clinics.