The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantining on children and young people (CYP) living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has yet to be fully comprehended. CYP in LMICs are at utmost risk, given the COVID-19-related restrictions and social distancing measures, resulting in reduced access to school-based services for nutritional and mental health needs. This study examined mental health of CYP during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Zambia and Sierra Leone. A total of 468 disabled and disadvantaged CYP aged 12 to 25 completed a planning tool that comprised the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), as well as open-ended questions covering social connectedness, physical distancing and educational challenges during the lockdown. The community coaches screened individuals and families who could be eligible to receive emergency aid, and based on a convenience sample following distribution of aid, recipients were invited to complete the planning tool. The data showed that participants in the global south have increasing anxieties and fears centred on accessing offline educational resources and income loss in the family effecting food security and their ability to return to education. Mean (SD) SWEMWBS scores for all participants in Zambia and Sierra Leone, were 19.61 (3.45) and 21.65 (2.84), respectively. Mental well-being scores were lower in females, children aged 12–14 and participants with two or more disabilities. Factors significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing in the sample were: type of disability, nationality, peer relationships, connection to others during the pandemic, knowledge about COVID-19, worry about the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the types of self-isolating. The study shows that participants who self-reported low levels of COVID-19 health literacy also scored low on the mental wellbeing self-assessment. Yet, despite undoubted limited resources, these CYP are doing well in identifying their needs and maintaining hope in the face of the problems associated with COVID-19 in countries where stigma persists around mental ill-health.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 隔离对残疾和弱势儿童和青少年的心理健康和福祉影响：来自赞比亚和塞拉利昂跨文化研究的证据


COVID-19 大流行和隔离对生活在低收入和中等收入国家 (LMIC) 的儿童和青少年 (CYP) 的心理健康影响尚未得到充分理解。鉴于与 COVID-19 相关的限制和社交距离措施，中低收入国家的 CYP 面临最大风险，导致获得学校营养和心理健康需求服务的机会减少。这项研究调查了赞比亚和塞拉利昂首次 COVID-19 封锁期间 CYP 的心理健康状况。共有 468 名 12 至 25 岁的残疾人和弱势 CYP 完成了一项规划工具，其中包括简短的华威-爱丁堡心理健康量表 (SWEMWBS)，以及涵盖封锁期间社交联系、身体距离和教育挑战的开放式问题。社区教练筛选了有资格获得紧急援助的个人和家庭，并根据援助分配后的便利样本，邀请受助者完成规划工具。数据显示，南半球的参与者越来越焦虑和恐惧，主要集中在获取线下教育资源和家庭收入损失，从而影响粮食安全及其重返教育的能力。赞比亚和塞拉利昂所有参与者的平均 (SD) SWEMWBS 分数分别为 19.61 (3.45) 和 21.65 (2.84)。女性、12-14 岁儿童以及患有两种或多种残疾的参与者的心理健康得分较低。样本中与心理健康状况不佳显着相关的因素包括：残疾类型、国籍、同伴关系、大流行期间与他人的联系、对 COVID-19 的了解、对 COVID-19 长期影响的担忧以及自我隔离。 研究表明，自我报告 COVID-19 健康素养水平较低的参与者在心理健康自我评估中的得分也较低。然而，尽管资源无疑有限，但在精神疾病仍然存在耻辱的国家，这些 CYP 在确定自己的需求和面对与 COVID-19 相关的问题时保持希望方面做得很好。