Global study finds government pandemic policies did not impact neurodivergent children’s anxiety

An international team of researchers co-led by Professor Jo Van Herwegen at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, and Professor Andrea Samson (UniDistance Suisse and University of Fribourg) has examined data from over 6,600 families in 70 countries, in order to understand how the pandemic affected anxiety levels for children with a neurodevelopmental condition (NDC), their neurotypical siblings and their parents. 

The families surveyed included a child with one of the most frequently diagnosed NDCs: autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorder, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and intellectual disability. Parents were invited to fill in an online questionnaire about their family situation, anxiety levels, and concerns. About a third of the families also provided information about a typically developing sibling. 

The findings, published today in the Journal of Global Health, highlighted how anxiety levels significantly increased at the onset of the pandemic for both parents and their children with an NDC, as well as for any typically developing siblings. However, while anxiety decreased to near pre-pandemic levels for the children as the pandemic’s first wave progressed, their parents appeared to experience a chronic state of increased stress. 

The factors contributing to parental anxiety were mainly related to health concerns for themselves and their children, irrespective of the type of NCD their child had, as well as worries about limited opportunities for social interaction and development due to measures like social distancing.  

Meanwhile the sudden disruption of the children’s daily routines, due to school closures, mental health care service discontinuation, and changes to family life, significantly contributed to all children’s anxiety, regardless of NCD type or the country they lived in. Among these, children with Williams syndrome reported the highest anxiety levels, and concerns about the loss of routine were a common factor for anxiety in children with autism, ADHD, and Williams syndrome. “This is in line with the elevated need of children with NDCs for consistency and routine in their daily lives,” said Professor Van Herwegen. 

Surprisingly, the study found that government-level policy measures made in response to COVID-19 such as mask-wearing mandates, fiscal measures and emergency healthcare spending, did not have a direct impact on parental or child anxiety. The finding suggests that country-specific contexts played a smaller role in mitigating or exacerbating anxiety levels than might be expected. Joint first author Vassilis Sideropoulos (IOE) commented that “the absence of a clear explanation for this finding highlights the complexity of the pandemic's impact on anxiety and the need for further exploration and investigation in this field.” 

The researchers noted that understanding the causes of anxiety and stress for these families allows governments and health organisations to prepare and respond to future crises. Furthermore, taking this finding on board will be essential for developing appropriate policy recommendations and interventions in the future. 

The research team concluded that families who have a child or children with NDCs would benefit from public health system-provided toolkits during similar crises. Such toolkits could emphasise the importance of establishing a new family routine and assisting both children and parents in managing their anxiety. The researchers also call for further support and tailored interventions to help these families cope with future crises and maintain the wellbeing of both parents and children. 

Study co-lead Professor Samson said: “At the beginning of the pandemic we were worried about the many families with a child with NDC that were cut from their usual services and institutions such as specialised schools, day care services, therapists, clinicians or medical care. Since many of our research projects came to a sudden halt due to the pandemic, we dedicated our time to the creation of a survey in the first weeks of the pandemic, as well as building a network of more than 50 collaborators across the globe to help translate the questionnaire as well as to recruit families in their respective countries.” 

Links

• Read the paper: Anxiety, concerns and COVID-19: Cross-country perspectives from families and individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions
• Q&A with Professor Jo Van Herwegen 
• Vassilis Sideropoulos’ research profile
• Child Development and Learning Difficulties Lab
• Department of Psychology and Human Development

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