@article{ref1,
title="COVID-19 and pediatric mental health hospitalizations",
journal="Pediatrics",
year="2023",
author="Khan, Jahidur Rahman and Hu, Nan and Lin, Ping-I. and Eapen, Valsamma and Nassar, Natasha and John, James and Curtis, Jackie and Rimmer, Maugan and O'Leary, Fenton and Vernon, Barb and Lingam, Raghu",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To analyze Australian national data to examine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health-related hospital presentations among children and adolescents during the pandemic period with restrictions, and the period after the restrictions eased. <br><br>METHODS: We analyzed the monthly mental health-related inpatient admissions and emergency department (ED) attendances data from 6 large pediatric hospitals across Australia, using the Bayesian structural time series models. The COVID-19 restriction period was from March 2020 to December 2021 and the COVID-19 restriction-eased period from January to June 2022. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 130 801 mental health-related hospital admissions (54 907) and ED attendances (75 894) were analyzed. During the COVID-19 restriction period, there was a significant increase in inpatient admissions related to deliberate self-harm behaviors (82%, 95% credible interval [CrI], 7%-160%) and ED attendances related to overall mental health disorders (15%, 95% CrI, 1.1%-30%) and eating disorders (76%, 95% CrI, 36%-115%). The increase was higher among females and those living in the least socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, suggesting a widening gap between mental health-related presentations by sex and socioeconomic status. After the restrictions eased, there were slight declines in mental health-related hospital presentations; however, the numbers remained higher than the pre-COVID-19 levels. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The increase in mental health-related hospital presentations during the COVID-19 period calls for additional support for pediatric mental health care, particularly for eating disorders and deliberate self-harm among female adolescents. It is important to monitor pediatric mental health service use as we enter &quot;COVID-19 normal&quot; period.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0031-4005",
doi="10.1542/peds.2022-058948",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-058948"
}