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Médecine thérapeutique / Pédiatrie

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The consequences of COVID-19 on children's mental health Volume 23, issue 1, Janvier-Février-Mars 2021

Author
Hôpitaux Pédiatriques de Nice CHU Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice
* Correspondance

The somatic consequences of the COVID-19 are numerous and often serious, but mental health has been a neglected aspect at least in the first few months of the pandemic. The purpose of this mini-review is to assess the way COVID-19 has impacted populations already weakened by somatic diseases or mental disorders, and also triggered the emergence of other mental disorders. We extracted from PubMed database papers addressing in the paediatric population the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health (containment, stress, anxiety, depression), maltreatment, video games, neurodevelopment disorders (Attention-Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Tourette syndrome). We considered 600 references and retained 140; very few studies were conducted in France. Themes such as the need to develop teleconsultation, sleep disorders, eating disorders and obesity have emerged. Overall, the level of evidence for these studies is low (observational, non-randomized, uncontrolled), but the results question all the more that the consequences on future generations are largely unknown.