Mental Health Trajectories of Children and Caregivers Using School-Based Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: This was a prospective study of children registered at school-based health centers (SBHCs) in Canada. The objectives were to compare mental health trajectories of children and parents/caregivers who accessed SBHCs during the pandemic relative to those who did not.

Method: Parents/caregivers of children who attended SBHCs completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at three time points during the pandemic. The primary analysis used linear mixed models to examine the relationship between SBHC visits during the pandemic and children's SDQ score trajectories. The secondary analysis was the same for parents'/caregivers' GAD-7 scores.

Results: There were 435 children included. SDQ and GAD-7 scores worsened over time for children and parents/caregivers who attended SBHCs during the pandemic compared to those who did not.

Discussion: Children and parents/caregivers with worsening mental health symptoms may have sought care at SBHCs since they were accessible during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; School-based health centers; health care access; mental health.