Abstract
On 10 March 2020, in Italy, a total lockdown was put in place to limit viral transmission of COVID-19 infection as much as possible. Research on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted detrimental effects in children and their parents. However, little is known about such effects in children with neurodevelopment disorders and their caregivers. The present study investigated how the lockdown has impacted the physiological and psychological well-being of children with Fragile X-Syndrome (FXS), aged from 2 to 16 years, and their mothers. In an online survey, 48 mothers of FXS children reported their perception of self-efficacy as caregivers and, at the same time, their children’s sleep habits, behavioral and emotional difficulties during, and retrospectively, before the lockdown. Results showed a general worsening of sleep quality, and increasing behavioral problems. Although mothers reported a reduction in external support, their perception of self-efficacy as caregivers did not change during the home confinement compared to the period before. Overall, the present study suggested that specific interventions to manage sleep problems, as well as specific therapeutic and social support for increasing children and mother psychological well-being, need to be in place to mitigate the long-term effects of a lockdown.
Highlights
On March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]
[5,7], this aspect is detrimental for children and adolescents with Fragile X-Syndrome (FXS), for whom this aspect is detrimental for children andofadolescents with[23]
COVID-19 is a challenge to the daily routine of children, especially those with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as FXS
Summary
On March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]. Huge efforts have been made around the world to stop the infection in order to safeguard people’s physical health. Necessary, prolonged home confinement and social distancing might be detrimental for mental health, affecting people’s lives by disrupting their everyday behavior and daily routines. Developing children are not indifferent to the dramatic impact of the COVID19 epidemic. The literature has highlighted that the pandemic outbreak, imposing a prolonged and unexpected interruption of school routine, daily activities and connections with peers, could represent an important risk factor for physical and mental health in children and their families [5,6,7,8,9].
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