Page:Child-adolescent-mh-covid.pdf/1

 {|cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 September 22, 2021
 * US Department of Health and Human Services seal.svg
 * style="width:1em"|
 * }
 * }
 * }


 * Children and adolescents had high likelihood of having a mental health condition after a COVID-19 diagnosis, negative COVID-19 test or COVID-19 like symptoms only.
 * Likelihood of mental health diagnosis after a COVID-19 related event increased with age.
 * Type of mental health condition among diagnosed children who also experienced a COVID-19 related event varied by age, with different patterns of diagnosis for children age 0-5, age 6-11, and adolescents age 12-17.
 * The odds of developing a mental health condition following COVID-19 related event were higher among children with adverse childhood experiences.
 * Children with an Intellectual Disability/Developmental Disability had high odds of having new or recurring mental health condition after a COVID-19 related event.
 * Early childhood education providers and schools are essential resources to meet the post-COVID mental health needs of students returning to educational settings.

After a prolonged period of social isolation and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the re-opening and continuing operation of schools and early childhood education (ECE) providers for in-person learning is a public health priority. The President’s Executive Order on school and ECE re-opening identified the need for “trauma-informed care, and behavioral and mental health support” for younger children, and the “promotion of mental health and social-emotional well-being” as schools and other educational institutions re-open. Studies on child and adolescent mental health and well-being indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic’s social restrictions prompted a surge in the mental health needs of children         with worse mental health outcomes among children and adolescents exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). At the same time, research on adults found potential heightened risk for mental health conditions after COVID-19 diagnosis  but no such analysis has been done on children or adolescents. Nationwide 4.3 million children/adolescents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of August 2021, and many of them will be returning to early childhood and school settings. Schools and ECE programs have long been essential settings for delivery of mental health services where children, students, and especially low-income and non-Hispanic Black students, face fewer structural barriers to accessing services.

This brief is using descriptive analysis to expand on prior research and provide more detailed information on the mental health needs, co-occurring conditions, and ACEs experienced by a cohort of young children age 0-5, children age 6-11, and adolescents age 12-17 during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The large sample of children and adolescents (N=4,168,031) allows us to examine patterns across all COVID-19 related events (COVID-19 diagnosis, negative COVID-19 test, or COVID-19 symptoms only). The data for the study were extracted from December 2018-April 2021 from the IQVIA multi-payer health insurance claims database, covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Children and adolescents age 0-5 (early childhood/ preschool), age September 2021