Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children in Kerala: A Cross-sectional Analysis

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown on children's mental health in four Kerala districts. During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, from May 16 to June 4, 2021, 400 parents with at least one child between the ages of 5 and 15 participated in an online cross-sectional study using a non-probability sampling technique. Children were classified according to their mental health scores using discriminant analysis, and the association between parental behavior and children's mental health was identified using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The chi-square test was also used to evaluate these correlations. Four levels of mental health difficulties were identified in children: 43% had minimal difficulties (mean MDD-10: 2.8), 30.5% had emerging difficulties (mean MDD-10: 8.9), 19.3% had significant difficulties (mean MDD-10: 15.9), and 7.2% had high-risk or severe difficulties (mean MDD-10: 25.2). Children whose parents were required to continue working on-site, had relatives infected with COVID-19, had higher levels of education, or exhibited abnormal behaviors were found to have a higher percentage of mental health disorders. In contrast, children whose parents did not experience these difficulties. The results show that during the second wave of COVID-19, especially during the lockdown period between May and June 2021, a significant percentage of children in Kerala had mental health issues. Children's psychological well-being may be improved by putting psychological intervention techniques into practice, increasing parental literacy, strengthening job security, ensuring appropriate childcare, and improving household financial stability. Children's psychological wellbeing may improve as a result of increased security. The study's conclusions, according to the authors, will help Kerala make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining to health.