An Analysis of Admissions to a Refugee Child Mental Health Unit in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Unver H., PERDAHLI FİŞ N.

CLINICAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY, cilt.27, sa.1, ss.136-144, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 27 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1177/13591045211058337
  • Dergi Adı: CLINICAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.136-144
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, refugee, child, mental health, ADHD, anxiety, pandemic
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background To examine the admissions to a refugee child outpatient mental health unit in the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare them with the pre-pandemic period. Methods This retrospective observational study, planned through the hospital information system and patient files, included the 1-year number of outpatient unit admissions, sociodemographic, and clinical data. Results Before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2019-February 2020), a total of 2322 patients (local and refugee) applied to the same unit, and 236 (10.1%) of these patients were refugees. Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey (March 2020-February 2021), 1209 patients applied, and 10.4% (n = 126) of them were refugees. While 19.66 +/- 6.31 refugees applied per month in the pre-pandemic period, this number decreased to 10.50 +/- 5.31 during the pandemic period (p = 0.01). During the pandemic period, there was a significant decrease in the number of female refugee patient admissions. In addition, while admissions for external disorders increased significantly during the pandemic period (x( 2 ) = 13.99, p = 0.001), admissions for internal disorders decreased significantly (x( 2 ) = 4.54, p = 0.03). Conclusions The decrease in the mental health unit demands with the pandemic may lead to negative consequences in the long term. To determine mental health and psychological needs of patients during the outbreak will greatly contribute to the pandemic management process.