UAE: 13.9% children exhibited depression during lockdown, says expert

UAE: 13.9% children exhibited depression during lockdown, says expert

The depressive symptoms were associated with higher food intake and increased screen time, says Dr Mirza, who speaks in a conference in UAE

Published: Wed 7 Dec 2022, 3:29 PM Last updated: Wed 7 Dec 2022, 3:43 PM

Parents who engaged with their children and adolescents during the lockdown successfully mitigated the effects of social distancing, a mental health expert said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 25th edition of the International Association for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) Congress in 2022, held for the first time in the UAE, Dr. Hassan Mirza, Child Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from the Department of Behavioural Medicine at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, said that these children were less likely to develop depression.

Dr. Mirza shared with attendees the results of a research that was held in Oman which aimed to study the prevalence of depressive symptoms or emotional difficulties among young people during the Covid-19 pandemic and specifically during the lockdown period.

The study showed that 13.9 per cent of children and adolescents exhibited depressive symptoms during Covid-19. “This is higher than what is typical for this age group which is around 2-8 per cent,” said Dr. Mirza.

The study aimed to screen