Emel ÖMERCİOĞLU, Aysel HAJİYEVA, Ayşe METE YEŞİL, Pınar ZENGİN AKKUŞ, Elif N. ÖZMERT

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Türkiye’de Tipik Gelişen Çocukların Uzun Dönem Davranış Sorunları Üzerindeki Etkisi

Amaç: COVİD-19 gibi pandemiler sosyal kısıtlılıklar, günlük rutinlerdeki değişiklikler ve ekonomik zorluklara bağlı olarak hem ebeveynlerde, hem de çocuklarda strese neden olur ve çocuklarda uzun dönemde gelişimsel ve davranışsal sorunlara yol açar. Çalışmamızda pandeminin ikinci yılında tipik gelişen sağlıklı çocuklarda davranış problemlerini ve bu sorunlara aile sosyodemografik özelliklerinin etkisini değerlendirdik. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu vaka kontrol çalışmasına, Ocak ve Şubat 2022 tarihleri arasında Hacettepe Üniversitesi İhsan Doğramacı Çocuk Hastanesi’ne başvuran yaşları 18-60 ay arasında 28 çocuk ve pandemi öncesi dönemden 23 çocuk dahil edildi. Çocukların tümünün Erken Gelişim Evreleri Envanteri değerlendirme sonuçları tüm gelişim alanlarında normaldi. Çocuk Davranışlarını Değerlendirme Ölçeği ebeveynler tarafından dolduruldu. Bulgular: Aile sosyodemografik özellikleri açısından iki grup arasında anlamlı fark yoktu. Çocuk Davranışlarını Değerlendirme Ölçeği puanları değerlendirildiğinde anksiyete-depresyon puanları pandemi sonrası grupta anlamlı olarak daha yüksekti (p=0.047). Çoklu regresyon modelinde, anne eğitim düzeyi düşük kaygı-depresyon puanları ile anlamlı bir şekilde ilişkiliydi (p=0.030). Anne eğitim düzeyinin lise üstü olmasının pandemi sonrası gruptaki çocuklarda anksiyete-depresyon puanlarını 2,53 puan azalttığı gösterildi. Tartışma: Aileler, çocuk doktorları ve diğer tüm sağlık çalışanları pandeminin olumsuz etkilerine karşı en savunmasız gruplardan biri olan okul öncesi çocukları yakın izlemelidir. Ayrıca, özellikle orta gelirli ve gelişmekte olan ülkelerde pandemi sürecinde derinleşen sağlık ve sosyal eşitsizliklerin ortadan kaldırılması için yeni politikalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

covid 19, davranış sorunu, çocuk

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic On Long Term Behavior Problems in Typically Developing Preschool Children in Turkey

Objective: Pandemics such as COVID 19, cause severe stress for both parents and children due to social constraints, changes in daily routines, and economic challenges, and can lead to long-term developmental and behavioral problems in children. We evaluated the behavioral problems of typically developing healthy children at the end of the second year of the pandemic, as well as the effect of family sociodemographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: This case-control study included 28 children between the ages of 18 to 60 months who admitted to Hacettepe University İhsan Doğramacı Children’s Hospital between January and February 2022 and 23 children from the pre-pandemic period. All of the children scored normally on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) in all developmental domains. The Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) was completed by parents. Results: In terms of family sociodemographic characteristics, no significant difference existed between the two groups. Anxiety-depression scores were significantly higher in the post-pandemic group once CBCL scores were assessed (p=0.047). In the final stepwise multiple regression model, maternal education level was significantly associated with lower anxiety-depression scores (p=0.030). It was revealed that a maternal education level above high school reduced the anxiety-depression scores by 2.53 points in the post-pandemic group. Conclusions: Families, pediatricians, and all other healthcare providers need to closely monitor preschoolers, who are among the groups most vulnerable to the negative effects of the pandemic. Additionally, new policies are required to eliminate health and social inequalities that deepen during the pandemic, especially in middle income and developing countries.

Keywords:

Behavior problems, Children, COVID-19,

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