SARS-CoV-2 & Pediatric Mental Health: A Review of Recent Evidence

SARS-CoV-2 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was met with lockdown policies to curb the spread of the disease. This meant that 890 million students in 114 countries would be affected by the closure of their educational institutes, affecting their mental health. Mental health disorders are suggested to have a well-correlated link to suicide, which is the third most leading cause of death worldwide amongst children aged 15-19 years. According to WHO, “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease.” Hence the isolation brought about by SARS-CoV-2 is postulated to cause anxiety, fear, and depression amongst the pediatric population, due to the loss of socialization and separation from friends. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we highlight the major mental health issues in children aged 2-18 years, along with their causes, effects, and potential solutions to tackle these problems.