Book Description
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has dramatically spread throughout the world, which has also caused mental health problems among the public, especially vulnerable groups like children and adolescents. As a traumatic event, the outbreak of COVID-19 might increase the prevalence of a series of mental health problems in children and adolescents probably due to social distancing, school closures, as well as separation from parents, and home quarantine. The continuing spreading of COVID-19 infection, as well as vaccine uptake strategies, quarantine policies, and health services during post epidemic era may also have a long-lasting side effect on children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are in critical periods of neurodevelopment and once they develop mental health problems, the long-lasting negative influence might span across their lifetime. Moreover, long-term multisystem sequelae, including neurological and psychiatric systems, of COVID-19 infection in children also compromise the development of physical and mental wellbeing in adulthood. Though there have been several studies on mental health consequences and long-term impact on the mental health of children and adolescents caused by COVID-19, there is still limited data and more comprehensive studies are needed on this important topic.