Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Pandemic in School-age Children of Health Care Professionals

COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the psychosocial well-being of societies across nations.

This prospective interventional study assessed the psychological distress in children, aged 6–19 years, whose parents were health care professionals. Parents were interviewed with a set of questionnaires based on signs of psychological distress given in the UNICEF and Childline’s manual “Psychosocial Support for Children during COVID-19”. Reassessment with same questionnaire was done after 15 days of intervention in the form of counseling and use of toolkits provided in the manual.

The mean (SD) score was highest in children whose both parents were healthcare professionals. A significant reduction in psychological distress was seen after parents were provided with knowledge about UNICEF and Childline’s manual (P < 0.001).

Counseling activities and toolkits provided in the manual were effective in reduction ofpsychological distress in children during COVID-19 pandemic.