Effects of Home Confinement due to COVID-19 on Physical, Social and Psychological status of Children and Adolescents'

Abstract

Background: The rapid expansion of corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic and inability in most countries to control it in finding out an effective treatment or vaccine to prevent it, resulted in worldwide recourse to committing people to remain at home for a long time, which had many negative effects on individuals in all aspects of health. Aim of the study was to evaluate effects of home confinement during COVID-19 outbreak on the physical, social and psychosocial status of children and adolescents. A descriptive cross sectional design was used in carrying out the present study; the data were collected from a convenient sample of 183 children and adolescents' survey, which distributed electronically. The survey targeted the preparatory, secondary schools and university students send online via Egypt and Saudi Arabia portals. A structured questionnaire that consists of personal characteristics of the studied sample; plus effects of home confinement on physical activity; social and psychological status children and adolescent. The results revealed that studied subjects suffered from negative effects on physical, social and psychological status as result of home confinement. This study concluded that home confinement due to COVID-19 which has negative effect on physical status, social relations and worsening in the psychological behaviors of children and adolescents. Therefore, this study recommended to design educational interventions for children and adolescent to enable them to cope and adjust with emergency health hazards.