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Daily COVID-19 Stressor Effects on Children's Mental Health Depend on Pre-pandemic Peer Victimization and Resting

Tracy K Y Wong1, Tyler Colasante2, Tina Malti2

  • 1Department of Psychology and Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy, University of Toronto, Deerfield Hall, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada. tracyk.wong@utoronto.ca.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|December 9, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Pandemic Mental Health
  • Stress and Coping

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted children's mental health.
  • Pre-existing risk and protective factors may influence pandemic-related mental health outcomes.
  • Understanding these factors is crucial for supporting children's well-being during crises.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine daily associations between COVID-19 stressors and children's mental health.
  • To investigate the moderating roles of peer victimization and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) on these associations.
  • To identify preceding risk and protective factors for children's mental health during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • A 14-day daily diary study design was employed.
  • Participants included 49 Canadian children aged 8-13 years.
  • Multilevel modeling analyzed associations and moderating effects.

Main Results:

  • Children reported poorer mental health on days with COVID-19 stressors.
  • This association was amplified by higher pre-pandemic peer victimization and lower resting RSA.
  • Children with high victimization and high RSA were buffered from negative effects.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-pandemic peer victimization and RSA are critical moderators of children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Children with higher vulnerability (high victimization, low RSA) are at greater risk.
  • Targeting these factors may help mitigate pandemic-related mental health challenges in children.

Keywords:
COVID-19ChildhoodMental healthPeer victimizationRespiratory sinus arrhythmia

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