AUTHOR=Zadjali Fahad , Al-Futaisi Amna , Al-Hosni Amira , Al-Huseini Salim , Crommelin Maarten , Mirza Hassan 

TITLE=The Parental and Children Report of the Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study From Oman

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 67 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604474

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2022.1604474

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objective: This study aimed to estimate the point prevalence of depression during the covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in May 2020, in which all young Omani people attending a mainstream school aged 8 to 18 years old were eligible to participate. Parents were asked to complete the online survey, which consisted of the parent version of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-Parent), and a self-reported version (MFQ-Self) was provided where children preferred to fill out the survey themselves. Logistic regression was used to identify the contributing socio-demographic variables associated with depressive symptoms.

Results: A total of 445 participants completed the MFQ, out of which 72.1% were parents, and 27.9% were children, adolescents and young people. 13.9% of children and adolescents exhibited depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oman. The presence of depressive symptoms was associated with increased food intake (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.00-3.29, p-value <0.05), longer use of smartphones (OR 2.72, 95%C.I 1.56 -4.73, p-value <0.001).

Conclusion: This study from Oman concurs with recent reports of depression being common during the covid-19 pandemic.