THE IMPACT OF ROUTINES ON EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES IN CHILDREN AND ON PARENTAL ANXIETY DURING COVID-19

Aims and hypothesisWe hypothesised that there would be an association between maintaining a routine during lockdown and both lower emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and lower parental anxiety. We also hypothesised that children of keyworker parents would have fewer emotional and behavioural symptoms due to having maintained more normal routines. BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic and related public health measures have impacted on mental health of children. MethodsWe used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to explore associations between maintaining a routine, and emotional and behavioural difficulties in children, using linear regression models. We included measures of parental anxiety. We separately explored associations with having a keyworker parent. We used the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire and the Revised Rutter Parent Scale for Preschool Children to establish levels of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Results289 parents completed questionnaires about their 411 children. Keeping a routine was associated with emotional and behavioural difficulty scores 5.0 points lower (95% CI -10.0 to - 0.1), p=0.045 than not keeping a routine. Parents who reported keeping a routine had anxiety scores 4.3 points lower (95% CI -7.5 to -1.1), p=0.009 than those who did not. Children of keyworkers tended to have lower emotional and behavioural difficulty scores (-3.1 (95%CI -6.26 to 0.08), p=0.056) than children of non-keyworkers. All models were adjusted for relevant potential confounders. ConclusionMaintaining a routine may be beneficial for both child emotional wellbeing and parental anxiety, although it is also possible that lower parental anxiety levels made maintaining a routine easier. Being the child of a keyworker parent during lockdown may have been protective for child emotional wellbeing.

Trajectories of child emotional and behavioural difficulties before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a longitudinal UK cohort

ImportanceCOVID-19 public health mitigation measures are likely to have detrimental effects on emotional and behavioural problems in children. However, longitudinal studies with pre-pandemic data are scarce. ObjectiveTo explore trajectories of childrens emotional and behavioural difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and settingData were from children from the third generation of a birth cohort study; the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children - Generation 2 (ALSPAC-G2) in the southwest of England. ParticipantsThe study population comprised of 708 children (median age at COVID-19 data collection was 4.4 years, SD=2.9, IQR= [2.2 to 6.9]), whose parents provided previous pre-pandemic surveys and a survey between 26 May and 5 July 2020 that focused on information about the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions from the first lockdown in the UK were eased. ExposuresWe employed multi-level mixed effects modelling with random intercepts and slopes to examine whether childrens trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties (a combined total difficulties score) during the pandemic differ from expected pre-pandemic trajectories. Main outcomesChildren had up to seven measurements of emotional and behavioural difficulties from infancy to late childhood, using developmentally appropriate scales such as the Emotionality Activity Sociability Temperament Survey in infancy and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in childhood. ResultsThe observed normative pattern of childrens emotional and behavioural difficulties pre-pandemic, was characterised by an increase in scores during infancy peaking around the age of 2, and then declining throughout the rest of childhood. Pre-pandemic, the decline in difficulties scores after age 2 was 0.6 points per month; but was approximately one third of that in post-pandemic trajectories (there was a difference in mean rate of decline after age 2 of 0.2 points per month in pre vs during pandemic trajectories [95 % CI: 0.10 to 0.30, p <0.001]). This lower decline in scores over the years translated to older children having pandemic difficulty scores higher than would be expected from pre-pandemic trajectories (for example, an estimated 10.0 point (equivalent of 0.8 standard deviations) higher score (95% CI: 5.0 to 15.0) by age 8.5 years). Results remained similar although somewhat attenuated after adjusting for maternal anxiety and age. Conclusion and relevanceThe COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with greater persistence of emotional and behavioural difficulties after the age 2. Emotional difficulties in childhood predict later mental health problems. Further evidence and monitoring of emotional and behavioural difficulties are required to fully understand the potential role of the pandemic on young children. Key FindingsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSHow has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced emotional difficulties in young children? FindingsUsing repeated longitudinal data from before and during the pandemic we provide evidence that emotional difficulty scores of primary school aged children are higher by an estimated 10.0 points (0.8 standard deviations) (95% CI: 5.0 to 15.0) by age 8.5 years than would be expected based on pre pandemic data. MeaningThe level of difference in emotional difficulties found in the current study has been linked to increased likelihood of mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood. Therefore, this increase in difficulties needs careful monitoring and support.