The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on children's and adolescents' mental health in Greece

Konstantina Magklara; Helen Lazaratou; Anastasia Barbouni; Konstantinos Poulas; Konstantinos Farsalinos

doi:10.1111/chso.12605

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on children's and adolescents' mental health in Greece

Child Soc. 2022 Jul 14:10.1111/chso.12605. doi: 10.1111/chso.12605. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Konstantina Magklara¹, Helen Lazaratou¹, Anastasia Barbouni², Konstantinos Poulas³, Konstantinos Farsalinos⁴

Affiliations

¹ First Department of Psychiatry, Medical School University of Athens Athens Greece.
² School of Public Health, Department of Public and Community Health University of West Attica Athens Greece.
³ Department of Pharmacy University of Patras Rio Greece.
⁴ School of Public Health, Department of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece; Department of Pharmacy University of Patras Rio Greece.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on children's and adolescents' mental health in Greece during the lockdown of spring 2020. A cross-sectional survey of 1232 Greek parents was conducted in spring 2020. 35.1% of parents reported that their children's psychological health was significantly affected. Parental unemployment, limited opportunity for tele-work and deteriorating psychological health, increased family conflicts and children's pre-existing physical health conditions were all significantly associated with mental health impact. Children and adolescents may experience adverse mental health effects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID‐19; adolescence; children; lockdown; mental health; pandemic.