Overview
Children and young people with medical conditions have an elevated risk of mental health problems.
They may have been disproportionately affected by the distress associated with the COVID-19 restrictions. This study was based in Victoria, Australia, where some of the strictest lockdowns in the world occurred.
Our approach
To investigate this, we conducted a single-site, longitudinal cohort study involving the parents of 135 children and adolescents with medical conditions. Parents rated their child’s mental health, activities and healthcare experiences pre-COVID-19 (retrospectively), during lockdown and 6 months post-lockdown. Results revealed that mental health symptoms comprising anxiety, fatigue, distractibility, sadness, irritability, loneliness and worry, were higher during lockdown compared to pre-COVID levels. Further, anxiety, sadness and loneliness remained heightened at 6 months post-lockdown. Some factors such as child age, parent’s stress levels and child screen time contributed to greater mental health difficulties.
Our team
Research team
A large multidisciplinary research team led by Dr Louise Crowe, Prof Vicki Anderson and Ms Catriona Clarke.
Partners and funders
Resources
Resources/papers
Branson, E., Collins, B., McGrath, R., Anderson, V., Kilpatrick, N., & Crowe, L. (2024). The impact of COVID‐19 on the well‐being of Victorian children born with cleft lip and/or palate. Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research, 27(1), 110-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/ocr.12699
Brusco, N. K., Danchin, M., Watts, J. J., Jos, C., Loughnan, M., Williams, T., Ratcliffe, J., Hoq, M., Tosif, S., & Kaufman, J. (2023). Parent-Reported Child and Parent Quality of Life during COVID-19 Testing at an Australian Paediatric Hospital Outpatient Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare,
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11182555
Catroppa, C., Morrison, E., Ryan, N. P., Khan, N., Botchway-Commey, E. N., Moe, S., Piazza, C., Corso, K., Rae, G., & Bull, C. (2023). Characterising the Educational Experiences and Mental Health of Children with Pre-Existing Learning Difficulty or Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) during the COVID-19 Pandemic. COVID, 3(9), 1233-1243. https://doi.org/10.3390/covid3090087
Chinsen, A., Cronin, T. J., Pace, C. C., Tollit, M. A., & Pang, K. C. (2024). Evaluation of a codesigned group cognitive–behavioural therapy intervention for trans young people (TAG TEAM): protocol for a feasibility trial and a subsequent pilot RCT. BMJ open, 14(1), e076511. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076511
Chinsen, A., Tollit, M. A., Heye, P. L., Pang, K. C., Cronin, T. J., & Pace, C. C. (2025). “I could be one of those people that’s alive and happy”: a qualitative exploration of a co-designed group therapy program targeting gender minority stress for trans young people (TAG TEAM). International journal of transgender health, 1-17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15532739.2025.2472950
Chinsen, A., Wilson, J., Tollit, M. A., Pang, K. C., Pace, C. C., & Cronin, T. J. (in press). “There’s hope and there’s a future for all of us”: co-design of a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for trans young people (TAG TEAM). International Journal of Transgender Health. Advance online publication. [DOI forthcoming]
Temp link: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/wijt20
Crowe, L. M., Clarke, C., Geraghty, D., Collins, B., Hearps, S., Pugh, R., Kilpatrick, N., Branson, E., Payne, J. M., & Haebich, K. (2025). Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Australian Children and Adolescents with a Medical Condition: Longitudinal Findings. COVID, 5(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/covid5010010
Crowe, L. M., Clarke, C., Hearps, S., Pugh, R., Kilpatrick, N., Branson, E., Payne, J. M., Haebich, K. M., McCloughan, N., & Kintakas, C. (2021). Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. medRxiv, 2021.2008. 2010.21261816. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261816
Murdoch Children's Research Institute. (2022, January 19). The indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents. Research Brief, Issue 1. https://www.mcri.edu.au/images/documents/migrate/mcri_4_researchbriefdoc_covid_240122.pdf
Key Findings
Kaufman, J., Bagot, K. L., Williams, T., Jos, C., & Danchin, M. (2023). Exploring the lived experience of families with a COVID-19 positive child: The journey from a critical grounded theory approach. PloS one, 18(3), e0282481. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282481
Muscara, F., McCarthy, M. C., Rayner, M., Nicholson, J. M., Dimovski, A., McMillan, L., Hearps, S. J., Yamada, J., Burke, K., & Walser, R. (2020). Effect of a videoconference-based online group intervention for traumatic stress in parents of children with life-threatening illness: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA network open, 3(7), e208507-e208507. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.8507
The Centre for Community Child Health. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in Australian early childhood education and care (A rapid review prepared for the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Issue. https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/ccchdev/Impact%20of%20COVID-19%20pandemic%20on%20children%20in%20Australian%20ECEC%20%281%29.pdf
White, M., Pelly, R., Le, J., Dove, L., Connolly, S., Morgan, A., Reid, D., Haslam, R., & Hiscock, H. (2022). Feasibility of single question mental health surveillance in chronic disease. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 107(10), 906-911. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2022-324000