TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations Between Anxiety and Home Learning Difficulties in Children and Adolescents with ADHD During the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Jackson, Anna
AU - Melvin, Glenn A.
AU - Mulraney, Melissa
AU - Becker, Stephen P.
AU - Bellgrove, Mark A.
AU - Quach, Jon
AU - Hutchinson, Delyse
AU - Westrupp, Elizabeth M.
AU - Montgomery, Alicia
AU - Sciberras, Emma
N1 - Funding Information:
Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. Funding support for this project was provided through Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, a Strategic Research Centre of the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, Deakin University Australia. A/Prof Sciberras was funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellowship (1110688), a Medical Research Future Fund Investigator Grant (1194297) and a veski Inspiring Women’s Fellowship. A/Prof Hutchinson was funded by an Australian NHMRC Fellowship (1197488).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/10
Y1 - 2023/10
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has markedly impacted functioning for children and adolescents including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We explored home learning difficulties (HLD) during COVID-19 restrictions in Australian children (aged 5–17) with ADHD, aiming to: (1) describe home learning experiences, and (2) examine associations between child anxiety (i.e., concurrent anxiety symptoms and pre-existing anxiety disorder status) and HLD. Baseline data from the longitudinal ADHD COVID-19 Survey were used (n = 122). Parents reported on school factors and HLD; pre-existing anxiety and co-occurring difficulties; anxiety, ADHD, and oppositional symptoms; demographics; and medications. Parents retrospectively reported more children often looked forward to school pre-pandemic, than during the pandemic. Anxiety symptoms, but not pre-existing anxiety disorder status, were associated with HLD after accounting for covariates. ADHD inattention symptoms were also associated with HLD. Results support recommendations to continue pre-pandemic supports to assist with ADHD symptoms during home learning, and strategies/supports for families are discussed.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has markedly impacted functioning for children and adolescents including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We explored home learning difficulties (HLD) during COVID-19 restrictions in Australian children (aged 5–17) with ADHD, aiming to: (1) describe home learning experiences, and (2) examine associations between child anxiety (i.e., concurrent anxiety symptoms and pre-existing anxiety disorder status) and HLD. Baseline data from the longitudinal ADHD COVID-19 Survey were used (n = 122). Parents reported on school factors and HLD; pre-existing anxiety and co-occurring difficulties; anxiety, ADHD, and oppositional symptoms; demographics; and medications. Parents retrospectively reported more children often looked forward to school pre-pandemic, than during the pandemic. Anxiety symptoms, but not pre-existing anxiety disorder status, were associated with HLD after accounting for covariates. ADHD inattention symptoms were also associated with HLD. Results support recommendations to continue pre-pandemic supports to assist with ADHD symptoms during home learning, and strategies/supports for families are discussed.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
KW - Children
KW - COVID-19
KW - Home learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126330943&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10578-022-01338-3
DO - 10.1007/s10578-022-01338-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 35290556
AN - SCOPUS:85126330943
SN - 0009-398X
VL - 54
SP - 1347
EP - 1359
JO - Child Psychiatry & Human Development
JF - Child Psychiatry & Human Development
IS - 5
ER -
