Psycho-emotional distress in children and adolescents in relation to COVID-19 confinement and pandemic: a systematized review

Abstract

[Abstract] A stressor such as a pandemic is a trigger to focus on the study of the psycho-emotional impact on children and adolescents from a nursing care perspective. The aim of this systematized review was to know the impact of the lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic on children (from 2 to 12 years) and adolescent (from 13 to 18 years) in relation to daily routines, as well as the most frequent psycho-emotional manifestations. The research was carried out following PRISMA guidelines and was performed using several databases (PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane). The search was focused on children and adolescent population between 2020 and 2021.The literature search was from November to December 2021. Sixteen articles were used to perform the systematized review. A disruption in daily routines and an increase in psycho-emotional manifestations have been observed in young people, which is understood as a worsening of their psycho-emotional integrity. Higher levels of anxiety and depression in adolescents and hyperactivity and dependence disorders in the children have also been reported. In conclusion, children and adolescents have been affected in the psycho-emotional sphere in the same way as adults, therefore, it is necessary to know the presenting characteristics of this group of people in order to be able to establish an effective nursing approach and help preserve the mental integrity, as well as promote resilience.