Abstract

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the well-being of children and adolescents under lockdown conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the factors affecting it.

Material and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 282 parents of children aged between 3-14. “Socio-Demographic Data Collection Form” and “The Well-Being of Children in Lockdown Scale (WCLS)” were used in data collection. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results: The majority of participants’ (97.9%, n=276) total scores on the Well-being of Children in Lockdown Scale ranged between 45 and 66, and the level of their well-being was moderate. It was found that eleven variables explained 8.7% of the variance in the total score of the Well-being of Children in Lockdown Scale (R2=0.087, p=0.009). The variables that had a significant effect on the scores of the sub-dimensions of the scale were the age of the mother (p=0.006), the financial status of the family (p=0.004) and the number of children (p=0.010) in the physical activity sub-dimension; the status of going to school (p<0.001), financial status of family (p=0.001) and the child’s age (p=0.001) in the addiction sub-dimension; the age of the mother (p=0.004), the age of the father (p<0.001) and father’s employment status (p=0.003) in the emotions sub-dimension; the child’s age (p=0.048), the age of the father (p=0.046) and father’s employment status (p=0.010) in the fun and creative activities sub-dimension.

Conclusion: In this study, the well-being level of children and adolescents was determined to be moderate. It is recommended to plan studies on other variables that can predict children and adolescents’ well-being and to make timely interventions necessary for them.

Keywords: COVID-19, Child, Lockdown, Well-being, Health

References

  1. World Health Organization. COVID-19 and children. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. 2021. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/Life-stages/child-and-adolescent-health/covid-19-and-children. Accessed February 2, 2023.
  2. Jiao WY, Wang LN, Liu J, Fang SF, Jiao FY, Pettoello-Mantovani M, et al. Behavioral and emotional disorders in children during the COVID-19 Epidemic. J Pediatr 2020;221:264-6.e1.
  3. Dodge R, Daly A, Huyton J, Sanders L.The challenge of defining wellbeing. Int J Wellbeing 2012;2: 222-35.
  4. Miller GD, Foster LT. Critical synthesis of wellness literature. 2010. http://www.geog.uvic.ca/wellness/Critical_Synthesis%20of%20Wellness%20Update.pdf. Accessed January 15, 2023.
  5. World Health Organization. Health and well-being. 2022. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/health-and-well-being. Accessed March 3, 2023.
  6. Rachele JN, Washington TL, Cuddihy TF, Barwais FA, McPhail SM. Valid and reliable assessment of wellness among adolescents: Do you know what you’re measuring? Int J Wellbeing 2013;3:162-72.
  7. Loef M, Walach H. The combined effects of healthy lifestyle behaviors on all cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-Analysis. Prev Med 2012;55:163-70.
  8. Ng R, Sutradhar R, Yao Z, Wodchis WP, Rosella LC. Smoking, drinking, diet and physical activity-modifiable lifestyle risk factors and their associations with age to first chronic disease. Int J Epidemiol 2020;49:113-30.
  9. Dunton GF, Do B, Wang SD. Early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behavior in children living in the U.S. BMC Public Health 2020;20:1351.
  10. Panchal U, Salazar de Pablo G, Franco M, Moreno C, Parellada M, Arango C, et al. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on child and adolescent mental health: Systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023;32:1151-77.
  11. Malik S, Mihm B, von Suchodoletz A. COVID-19 lockdowns and children’s health and well-being. J Econ Psychol 2022;93:102549.
  12. Nogueira-de-Almeida CA, Del Ciampo LA, Ferraz IS, Del Ciampo IRL, Contini AA, Ued FDV. COVID-19 and obesity in childhood and adolescence: A clinical review. J Pediatr 2020;96:546-58.
  13. Pietrobelli A, Pecoraro L, Ferruzzi A, Heo M, Faith M, Zoller T, et al. Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on lifestyle behaviors in children with obesity living in Verona, Italy: A longitudinal study. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2020;28:1382-5.
  14. Berasategi N, Idoiaga N, Dosil M, Eiguren A. Design and validation of a scale for measuring Well-Being of Children in Lockdown (WCL). Front Psychol 2020;11:2225.
  15. Demir Kösem D, Bektaş M, Demir Ş, Bektaş İ, Berasategi N. Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the scale for measuring Well-Being of Children in Lockdown (WCL). J Educ Res Nurs 2024;21:20-8.
  16. Berasategi Sancho N, Idoiaga Mondragon N, Dosil Santamaria M, Eiguren Munitis A. The well-being of children in lock-down: Physical, emotional, social and academic impact. Child Youth Serv Rev 2021;127:106085.
  17. Irwin M, Lazarevic B, Soled D, Adesman A. The COVID-19 pandemic and its potential enduring ımpact on children. Curr Opin Pediatr 2022;34:107-15.
  18. Allen J, Homel R, McGee T, Freiberg, K. Child well-being before and after the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns in three Australian states. Aust J Soc 2023;58:41-69.
  19. Wang G, Zhang Y, Zhao J, Zhang J, Jiang F. Mitigate the effects of home confinement on children during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet 2020;395:945-7.
  20. Viner R, Russell S, Saulle R, Croker H, Stansfield C, Packer J, et al. School closures during social lockdown and mental health, health behaviors, and well-being among children and adolescents during the first COVID-19 wave: A systematic review. JAMA Pediatr 2022;176:400-9.
  21. Oliveira VH, Martins PC, Carvalho GS. Children’s daily activities and well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown: Associations with child and family characteristics. Curr Psychol 2024;43:8346-57.
  22. Kovacs VA, Starc G, Brandes M, Kaj M, Blagus R, Leskošek B, et al. Physical activity, screen time and the COVID-19 school closures in Europe-an observational study in 10 countries. Eur J Sport Sci 2022;22:1094-103.
  23. Idoiaga Mondragon N, Berasategi Sancho N, Ozamiz-Echevarria N, Dosil Santamaria M. The well-being of children in a full lockdown and partial lockdown situation: A comparative perspective. Child Geogr 2022;21:708-20.
  24. Rajmil L, Hjern A, Boran P, Gunnlaugsson G, Kraus de Camargo O, Raman S, et al. Impact of lockdown and school closure on children’s health and well-being during the first wave of COVID-19: A narrative review. BMJ Paediatr Open 2021;5:e001043.
  25. Rodríguez-Pose A, Sandu A, Taylor C, Hampton, JM. Children’s subjective well-being during the coronavirus pandemic. Child Ind Res 2024;17:309-47.

Copyright and license

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Demir Kösem D, Bektaş M. Evaluation of the Wellness of Children’s and Affecting Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic Process. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2025 Jan. 21 [cited 2025 Aug. 23];19(1):5-11. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/1076