Joint developmental trajectories of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Chinese children during COVID-19

Abstract

BackgroundIn early 2020, Chinese children started to demonstrate severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) caused by lockdown and self-isolation (measures taken at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic). ObjectivesConcerning the significant impact of the pandemic on children's physical and mental development, the study aimed to explore children's depression and PTSS during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protective effects of family resilience on the trajectories. Methods883 children participated and completed three waves of online follow-up questionnaires. The latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) analysis was used to explore the trajectories of children's depression and PTSS based on the individual approach. ResultsTwo types of depression trajectories were identified and defined as the resilient group (83.01 %) and the recovery group (16.99 %); Two types of PTSS trajectories were identified and defined as the resilient group (71.12 %) and the recovery group (28.88 %); Two types of the joint trajectories of depression and PTSS were identified and defined as the resilient group (83.47 %) and the chronic group (16.53 %). The results indicated that maintaining a positive outlook (a dimension of family resilience) was the potential predictor of PTSS trajectories. ConclusionThe trajectories of depression and PTSS among Chinese children during the COVID-19 pandemic were heterogeneous, and there were similar evolving subtypes. Family resilience could be a critical protective factor for children and families.