IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3259-d768078.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Children with Developmental Disabilities: Service Disruption, Transition to Telehealth, and Child Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Saijun Zhang

    (Department of Social Work, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA)

  • Ying Hao

    (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA)

  • Yali Feng

    (Social Sciences, Health and Education Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Na Youn Lee

    (Department of Social Work, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial service disruption and transition from in-person services to telehealth for children with developmental disabilities. However, there is limited knowledge about the specific dimensions and consequences of the disruption and transition. This study aims to examine the extent of service disruption and transition, the experiences of client children and their caregivers with telehealth vis-à-vis in-person services, and the impacts of the disruption and transition on child wellbeing. The cross-sectional study collected data from parents of children with developmental disabilities using an online survey. McNemar’s tests were used to compare service changes before and after the pandemic outbreak, and multivariate analyses were used to examine how service changes were associated with child wellbeing. Results show that more than two-thirds of the children experienced reduction in service amount, and one-third lost services for more than two months in about five months into the pandemic. While telehealth had comparable features relative to in-person services, it had lower ratings with respect to diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, and rapport building. Service disruption/transition and social isolation were associated with behavioral and emotional deterioration in children. However, child and family stress may have confounded these adverse effects. We concluded that the magnitude of service disruption and transition was large in the first half year after the pandemic outbreak, and the amount and duration of service loss varied substantially across clients. Diagnostic accuracy, treatment efficacy, and rapport building were areas in which parents had major concerns toward telehealth relative to in-person services. However, such drawbacks may partially be due to the limited logistics in telehealth implementation during the pandemic. Service disruption and transition seemed to contribute to family stress, which played a direct role in eroding child wellbeing. Implications of these findings for future research and practices are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Saijun Zhang & Ying Hao & Yali Feng & Na Youn Lee, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Children with Developmental Disabilities: Service Disruption, Transition to Telehealth, and Child Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3259-:d:768078
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3259/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3259/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Shawna J. & Ward, Kaitlin P. & Chang, Olivia D. & Downing, Kasey M., 2021. "Parenting activities and the transition to home-based education during the COVID-19 pandemic," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    2. Rubén López-Bueno & Guillermo F. López-Sánchez & Alejandro Gil-Salmerón & Igor Grabovac & Mark A. Tully & José Casaña & Lee Smith, 2021. "COVID-19 Confinement and Sexual Activity in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-9, March.
    3. Saijun Zhang & Meirong Liu & Yeefay Li & Jae Eun Chung, 2021. "Teens’ Social Media Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Time Series Examination of Posting and Emotion on Reddit," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Ying Hao & Saijun Zhang & Austin Conner & Na Youn Lee, 2021. "The Evolution of Telepractice Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-18, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Isabelle Gansella Rocha Da Costa & Beatriz Helena Brugnaro & Camila Resende Gâmbaro Lima & Olaf Kraus de Camargo & Lais Fumincelli & Silvia Letícia Pavão & Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira Rocha, 2023. "Perceived Social Support and Quality of Life of Children with and without Developmental Disabilities and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Noemi Mazzoni & Arianna Bentenuto & Fabio Filosofi & Angela Tardivo & Lane Strathearn & Kasra Zarei & Simona De Falco & Paola Venuti & Giuseppe Iandolo & Michele Giannotti, 2022. "Parenting a Child with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder during the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative and Qualitative Cross-Cultural Findings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jan Vagedes & Karin Michael & Mohsen Sobh & Mohammad O. A. Islam & Silja Kuderer & Christian Jeske & Anne Kaman & David Martin & Katrin Vagedes & Michael Erhart & Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer & Tomáš Zdraži, 2023. "Lessons Learned—The Impact of the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on German Waldorf Parents’ Support Needs and Their Rating of Children’s Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Online S," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Ward, Kaitlin P. & Lee, Shawna J., 2022. "Associations of food insecurity and material social support with parent and child mental health during COVID-19," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Freisthler, Bridget & Gruenewald, Paul J. & Tebben, Erin & Shockley McCarthy, Karla & Price Wolf, Jennifer, 2021. "Understanding at-the-moment stress for parents during COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    4. Mariana Loezar-Hernández & Erica Briones-Vozmediano & Elena Ronda-Pérez & Laura Otero-García, 2023. "Juggling during Lockdown: Balancing Telework and Family Life in Pandemic Times and Its Perceived Consequences for the Health and Wellbeing of Working Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Li, Shifeng & Xu, Qiongying & Xie, Jing & Wang, Lei & Li, Huining & Ma, Li & Xia, Ruixue, 2022. "Associations of parenting daily hassles with parents’ mental health during the COVID-19 school closure," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    6. Jinho Kim & Sujeong Park & S. V. Subramanian & Taehoon Kim, 2023. "The Psychological Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Heterogeneous Effects in South Korea: Evidence from a Difference-in-Differences Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 455-476, February.
    7. José Juan Carrión-Martínez & Cristina Pinel-Martínez & María Dolores Pérez-Esteban & Isabel María Román-Sánchez, 2021. "Family and School Relationship during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-18, November.
    8. Markus Stracke & Miriam Heinzl & Anne Dorothee Müller & Kristin Gilbert & Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup & Jean Lillian Paul & Hanna Christiansen, 2023. "Mental Health Is a Family Affair—Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Associations between Mental Health Problems in Parents and Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, March.
    9. Samantha Garcia & Suellen Hopfer & Elouise Botes & Samuel Greiff, 2022. "Associations between Coronavirus Crisis Perception, Perceived Economic Risk of Coronavirus, General Self-Efficacy, and Coronavirus Anxiety at the Start of the Pandemic: Differences by Gender and Race," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-15, March.
    10. Alejandro Gil-Salmerón & Guillermo F. López-Sánchez & Rubén López-Bueno & Shahina Pardhan & Igor Grabovac & Lee Smith, 2021. "Association between Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology and Sexual Activity in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Quarantine," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-8, December.
    11. Wallace, Lacey N., 2023. "Parenting practices and adolescent delinquency: COVID-19 impact in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    12. Jason Furman & Melissa Schettini Kearney & Wilson Powell, 2021. "The Role of Childcare Challenges in the US Jobs Market Recovery During the COVID-19 Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 28934, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Ana Dias & Annibal Scavarda & Haydee Silveira & Luiz Felipe Scavarda & Kiran Kumar Kondamareddy, 2021. "The Online Education System: COVID-19 Demands, Trends, Implications, Challenges, Lessons, Insights, Opportunities, Outlooks, and Directions in the Work from Home," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    14. Martina Maněnová & Janet Wolf & Martin Skutil & Jitka Vítová, 2021. "Combating the Coronavirus Pandemic in Small Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-15, June.
    15. Dimitra Panagiotopoulou & Kalliroi Papadopoulou, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Quarantine on Young Children’s Family-Based Daily Activities in Greece," Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(2), pages 1-56, November.
    16. Timothy J. Grigsby & Krista Howard & Jeffrey T. Howard & Jessica Perrotte, 2023. "COVID-19 Concerns, Perceived Stress, and Increased Alcohol Use Among Adult Women in the United States," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 32(1), pages 84-93, January.
    17. Amanda Klein-Cox & Angela Tobin & Ramona Denby, 2023. "When Kinship Caregivers Became Teachers: Role Stress and Strain from Remote Learning during COVID-19," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-29, August.
    18. Mengqing Long & Jia Huang & Yishun Peng & Yawen Mai & Xian Yuan & Xinhua Yang, 2022. "The Short- and Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Child Maltreatment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    19. Ahlam Mohammed Al-Abdullatif & Hibah Khalid Aladsani, 2022. "Parental Involvement in Distance K-12 Learning and the Effect of Technostress: Sustaining Post-Pandemic Distance Education in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    20. Marija Draženović & Tea Vukušić Rukavina & Lovela Machala Poplašen, 2023. "Impact of Social Media Use on Mental Health within Adolescent and Student Populations during COVID-19 Pandemic: Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3259-:d:768078. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.