Fegert, Jörg M.; Ludwig-Walz, Helena; Witt, Andreas; Bujard, Martin (2023)
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Mental Health 17(75)
DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00617-8
The COVID-19 pandemic extends widely beyond the purely physical aspects (infection, recovery, medical treatment), ultimately encompassing nearly all fields of health in all age classes and social interactions. Concurrently, the pandemic management revealed that policy decisions in many countries around the world did not adequately consider the impact of these measures on the development of children and adolescents. Maintaining child care and schooling are necessary for many children and adolescents, not only in terms of their educational opportunities, but also in terms of promoting their mental health. Two meta-analyses of depression (Ludwig-Walz et al. 2022) and anxiety (Ludwig-Walz et al. 2023) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic show the clear links between restrictive policies, particularly school closures, and the rise of depression and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents.