The Impact of COVID Lockdowns on Your Child’s Mental Health

Has your child fully bounced back from time away from school and friends during the pandemic? Watch for signs of anxiety and depression.

Children kept out of school to protect them from catching COVID-19 could fare well — if they had:

• Parents who were attentive and able to help with home schooling
• Reliable technology for online classes
• Siblings as playmates
• Opportunities for exercise
• Nutritious meals

Unfortunately, many youngsters don’t live in that picture-perfect world. For some, their only good meal had been in school cafeterias. Robert (who asked that his real name not be used), a middle school teacher who taught online for poor school district in Atlanta, says 10- and 11-year-old students asked him for food.  

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The school system supplied the students with tablet computers, but sometimes relatives took them — so the kids had no way to participate in class.

When in-person classes resumed, many of the children appeared lost and anxious about catching up on schoolwork.

“I love these kids. Most of them try so hard despite some of them having difficult home lives,” Robert says.

“Anxiety is a big problem for many of them, and some seem depressed,” Robert notes. “I’m sending many of them to the school counselor and meeting with parents, when possible, to try to find ways to help them.”

Poor youngsters in urban areas aren’t the only ones who experienced mental health problems brought on or heightened by the COVID-19 lockdowns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), trips to emergency departments (EDs) for mental health crises among children and teens increased dramatically in communities across the nation as lockdowns continued after several months in 2020.

The consequences may have long reaching impacts on the youngsters.

Facts about COVID-19 risk for kids

From the get-go, the coronavirus pandemic was fraught with conflicting ideas about how big the risk of the infection was to children and whether they could be carriers, putting adults at risk.

Some reports and politicians erroneously claimed kids are immune from COVID-19. It’s true that most children experience asymptomatic or mild illness, but some became severely ill.  

At least 1,300 young Americans died of the disease, according to one study using government data for the years from 2019 to 2022. Among teens aged 15 to 19 years, the death rate was 1.8 per 100,000.

It wasn’t obvious in advance how many children were at serious risk or the long-term effects of an infection. Especially before Americans were widely vaccinated, even children with mild illness could cause more serious infections in adults, including teachers, parents, and grandparents.

Mental health problems in children linked to the COVID-19 lockdown

Some children benefited from changes like remote learning, but others were already struggling with mood problems. About one in five children had a mental health disorder before the coronavirus arrived, and only about 20 percent of those children received professional mental healthcare.   

In a survey of 1,000 parents, around 71 percent said the pandemic took a toll on their child’s mental health, and 69 percent said the pandemic was the worst thing to happen to their child.

In a national survey of 3,300 high schoolers, nearly a third said they felt unhappy and depressed much more than usual.

When widespread lockdowns first began across much of the U.S., and many schools turned to remote classes, ED visits for Americans of all ages first decreased. News reports showed packed hospitals and cases of COVID-19 patients on respirators and dying from the virus.

As cases of the coronavirus soared, the public, fearing catching the virus, stayed away from visiting emergency departments, often when they had physical injuries and non-COVID-19 related illnesses.

By mid-March of 2020, however, CDC research showed a change occurred. The proportion of mental health related ED visits soared, continuing into October.

Compared with the same period in 2019, when there was no lockdown, increases of mental health visits to the ED increased 24 percent among children between the ages of five and 11, and 31 percent among adolescents between ages 12 and 17.

The CDC explains EDs are often the first point of care (especially when other services are unavailable) for children experiencing mental health crises, which can include panic attacks, extreme depression, threats of suicide, and self-harm.

How and why COVID-19 lockdowns impacted kids’ mental health

While more research and long-term follow-up is needed, multiple studies suggest the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on children’s mental health for a variety of reasons. They may depend, in part, on the age of a child, as well as socioeconomic factors.

The American Psychological Association explains that parents were more likely to be physically and emotionally abusive to children during the lockdown and more likely to be involved in partner violence.

Children who are abused or witness abuse at home have an increased risk for both physical and psychological trauma, related anxiety, and other emotional and mental health problems.

A team of Oxford University psychiatrists, writing in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, explain that very young children often believe that their own thoughts, wishes, or unrelated actions cause big changes in their life, such as being kept out of school. They can mistakenly assume guilt that makes them anxious and depressed.

When it comes to tweens and adolescents, the mental health and emotional problems associated with the pandemic and lockdowns may be more pronounced and potentially more dangerous.

As a report in the BMJ journal Injury Prevention by CDC adolescent health researchers Marci Hertz and Lisa Barrios notes, U.S. teens before 2020 were already showing signs of an increase in mental health problems. The pandemic most likely aggravated the effects of loneliness.

How many symptoms a young person may have, and how severe the symptoms are and how long they last, are influenced by:

• Age
• History of trauma
• Psychological status before the pandemic
• Whether they have social and economic support

Before the pandemic, almost 3.5 million American teens received mental health services in their educational settings, primarily youngsters with public insurance, from low-income homes and from minority groups, the CDC researchers pointed out.

Unfortunately, the nationwide closure of schools limited access to mental health services for many adolescents most vulnerable to mental health and emotional problems.

Even when telemedicine mental health options have been available, families of financially disadvantaged teens often have not had technology to access those services.

How to help children and adolescents with mental health problems

If your child is struggling, it’s important to be patient. Schedule conferences with teachers, if needed, and work with your school to learn about, and take advantage of, counseling and other programs for children with mental health problems.

Ask if any tutoring services are available through the school to help your child catch up on classwork.

The American Psychological Association offers these additional tips for finding help for children and teens with mental or emotional health problems:

• Talk to your family physician or pediatrician about concerns you have about your child’s mental health. If you have health insurance, ask your carrier for a list of covered mental health providers in your area.
• If you don’t have health insurance, or your policy doesn’t cover mental health, contact your local department of health to see if help is available through your county or state.
• Your state psychological association may help you find mental healthcare in your area for your child.

Other organizations that can help you locate mental health professionals and resources include:

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and offers a 24-hour helpline for people dealing with mental health issues. Hotline: (800) 662-HELP (4357).
• National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is a national mental health organization with a free hotline staffed with trained specialists who provide information, resources, and referrals to people who need mental health assistance. Hotline: (800) 950-NAMI (6264).
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Visit AACAP’s website for resources to help you provide support for your children during the pandemic and the aftermath of lockdowns and missed school. It also provides a tool to help find mental health providers in your area who work with children.
• United Way. The United Way supports 211, a free and confidential hotline service that helps people across North America find the local resources 24 hours a day, including locating mental health support. Just dial 2.1.1. on your telephone or smartphone.

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