Inequalities in children's mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.
CHILD HEALTH
COVID-19
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Health inequalities
Journal
Journal of epidemiology and community health
ISSN: 1470-2738
Titre abrégé: J Epidemiol Community Health
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7909766
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2023
Dec 2023
Historique:
received:
08
12
2022
accepted:
27
07
2023
medline:
13
11
2023
pubmed:
26
9
2023
entrez:
25
9
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
There are concerns that child mental health inequalities may have widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated whether child mental health inequalities changed in 2020/2021 compared with prepandemic. We analysed 16 361 observations from 9272 children in the population representative UK Household Longitudinal Study. Child mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at ages 5 and 8 years in annual surveys 2011-2019, and at ages 5-11 years in July 2020, September 2020 and March 2021. Inequalities in cross-sectional SDQ scores among 5 and 8 year olds, before and during the pandemic, were modelled using linear regression. Additionally, interactions between time (before/during pandemic) and: sex, ethnicity, family structure, parental education, employment, household income and area deprivation on mental health were explored. A trend towards poorer mental health between 2011 and 2019 continued during the pandemic (b=0.12, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.17). Children with coupled, highly educated, employed parents and higher household income experienced greater mental health declines during the pandemic than less advantaged groups, leading to narrowed inequalities. For example, the mean difference in child SDQ scores for unemployed compared with employed parents was 2.35 prepandemic (1.72 to 2.98) and 0.02 during the pandemic (-1.10 to 1.13). Worse scores related to male sex and area deprivation were maintained. White children experienced worse mental health than other ethnicities, and greater declines during the pandemic. Mental health among UK 5 and 8 year olds deteriorated during the pandemic, although several inequalities narrowed. Interventions are needed to improve child mental health while ensuring inequalities do not widen.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
There are concerns that child mental health inequalities may have widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated whether child mental health inequalities changed in 2020/2021 compared with prepandemic.
METHODS
METHODS
We analysed 16 361 observations from 9272 children in the population representative UK Household Longitudinal Study. Child mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at ages 5 and 8 years in annual surveys 2011-2019, and at ages 5-11 years in July 2020, September 2020 and March 2021. Inequalities in cross-sectional SDQ scores among 5 and 8 year olds, before and during the pandemic, were modelled using linear regression. Additionally, interactions between time (before/during pandemic) and: sex, ethnicity, family structure, parental education, employment, household income and area deprivation on mental health were explored.
RESULTS
RESULTS
A trend towards poorer mental health between 2011 and 2019 continued during the pandemic (b=0.12, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.17). Children with coupled, highly educated, employed parents and higher household income experienced greater mental health declines during the pandemic than less advantaged groups, leading to narrowed inequalities. For example, the mean difference in child SDQ scores for unemployed compared with employed parents was 2.35 prepandemic (1.72 to 2.98) and 0.02 during the pandemic (-1.10 to 1.13). Worse scores related to male sex and area deprivation were maintained. White children experienced worse mental health than other ethnicities, and greater declines during the pandemic.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Mental health among UK 5 and 8 year olds deteriorated during the pandemic, although several inequalities narrowed. Interventions are needed to improve child mental health while ensuring inequalities do not widen.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37748928
pii: jech-2022-220188
doi: 10.1136/jech-2022-220188
pmc: PMC10646900
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
762-769Subventions
Organisme : Wellcome Trust
Pays : United Kingdom
Organisme : Wellcome Trust
ID : 205412/Z/16/Z
Pays : United Kingdom
Organisme : Medical Research Council
ID : MC_UU_00022/2
Pays : United Kingdom
Organisme : Chief Scientist Office
ID : SPHSU17
Pays : United Kingdom
Informations de copyright
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Competing interests: None declared.
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