The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has been an unprecedented health and social emergency worldwide during 2020 that still continues. Although the rate of COVID-19 infection among young children and adolescents is low, there are numerous pandemic-related mental health risks for children and adolescents. The main burden has been associated with contact restrictions, isolation, and increased pressure on families. Preschools, schools, and almost all institutions have been closed, social contacts significantly limited and out-of-home leisure time activities canceled or considerably limited. Parents needed to support their children in homeschooling, while at the same time working from home. Support for families by other family members and social care systems have fallen away or have been reduced. Beside worries and anxieties related to COVID-19, the pandemic has major economic implications with high and rising levels of unemployment worldwide. All this has put a lot of pressure on families, both parents and children, and has had a considerable impact on their mental health. Although children are less susceptible to the negative consequences of COVID-19 than the older population, children represent a vulnerable population in the COVID-19 crisis with regards to mental health because of the many changes, intrusions and influence on their daily life, their mental and physical immaturity and dependence on others for basic emotional and physical needs. Especially vulnerable for consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are children and adolescents with special needs or disadvantages, such as disabilities, trauma experiences, already existing mental health problems, minorities and low socioeconomic status
Language: en
", language="en", issn="1018-8827", doi="10.1007/s00787-021-01785-8", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01785-8" }