Longitudinal Associations Between COVID-19 Stress and the Mental Health of Children With ADHD
Ainsley Summerton, Susannah T. Bellows, Elizabeth Westrupp, Mark A. Stokes, David Coghill, Mark A. Bellgrove, Delyse Hutchinson, Stephen P. Becker, Glenn Melvin, Jon Quach, Daryl Efron, Argyris Stringaris, Christel M. Middeldorp, Tobias Banaschewski, Emma Sciberras
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the longitudinal associations between COVID-19 induced stress (related to COVID-19 restrictions/changes), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, oppositional symptoms, and mental health outcomes (negative affect, anxiety, depression, and irritability) in children with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Parents of 140 Australian children with ADHD (aged 5-17 years) completed an online survey in May 2020 during stay-at-home restrictions and 12-months later. RESULTS: = .002) at 12-months, after accounting for covariates (i.e., child age, gender, ADHD medication, socio-economic status, and baseline symptoms). Despite some indication of associations between baseline COVID-19 stress and 12-month oppositional symptoms and negative affect, these were attenuated when adjusting for baseline symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides initial evidence of the medium-term impacts of pandemic-related stress for children with ADHD.